Odie Alex Bonner was a radio and television and broadcast media executive. His career spanned over 40 years at RKO and its Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....

 ABC

American Broadcasting Company

The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

 affiliate stations WHBQ-AM-FM and WHBQ-TV

WHBQ-TV

WHBQ-TV, channel 13, is an owned-and-operated television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in Memphis, Tennessee. Its studios and transmitter are located in Memphis.-Under RKO General:...

.

Bonner graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy

United States Merchant Marine Academy

The United States Merchant Marine Academy is one of the five United States Service academies...

 in 1943 and served as a Cadet Midshipman (officer) aboard U.S. Merchant Marine tankers and freighters. Bonner later served as Master Sergeant for the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 until he was honorably discharged in 1947.