Eugene Lehto (Gene)
Radio Newman
Lethbridge radio, anchor desk CKWX 1973-79, CFHC
Camrose/Banff
Not all that long ago if someone offered Gene Lehto a helping hand, he’d demand to know what they were
after.
As a crusty, veteran newsman of more than 30 years,
he believed in the greedy side of human nature.
"I was a downright cynical S.O.B.," he
said, shaking his head at the memory.
"I’m not that way now though. Its like my eyes have been suddenly opened after keeping
them close for so many years."
In January of 1988, the world Lehto
knew came crashing to a halt. Doctors discovered he had a brain aneurysm. When
it burst, they didn’t think they could save him.
He somehow pulled through, but not without
consequences. Lehto lost entire sections of his
memory. Unable to work, and with five children, he became an incredible burden
on his wife Pam.
"If you ever want to meet a living breathing
angel, I`ll introduce you to my wife," he said.
Another unusual side-effect resulted from the
aneurysm. For some unexplained reason Lehto felt an
incredible urge to go for walks.
"I just had to go," he said. "My
wife tried to prevent me from going out on my own - but with five kids she couldn`t keep track of me all the time. I would watch for
my break - then I was out the door."
The problem was, Lehto no longer recognized traffic. He would simply walk
straight out onto the road. On several occaisions, he
was delivered back to his house by police.
His wife was at a function when she was asked by
Why not bring him to the park, where he could walk
to his heart`s content without worrying about
traffic.
Lehto said the kind offer has made more of
difference than Smith might have ever imagined.
"I really believe it was one of the reasons I
healed so fast," he said. "There were times when I would be walking
around the park and I would see something - say the grain elevator. I`d look at it and say, `I remember that`, and suddenly a
door would open to a whole new section of my memory."
Lehto said he couldn`t
begin to say enough about the kindness park staff and volunteers paid him. And
as he regained most of his memory, Lehto felt he had
to give something back. He asked if he could be used for any duty in the park
and his offer was glady accepted.
For the last three years, he`s
been one of the friendly volunteers who greet visitors as they enter the park
during the 12 Days of Christmas program.
"Gene has such a warm, outgoing spirit, it
rubs off on everyone around him," said Donna Palmer, the volunteer
coordinator for the park.
She recalled the effect he had on one woman who
tried volunteering for the first time at last year`s
Christmas program.
"He made her feel so welcome, so appreciated,
she spent her entire summer volunteering for us," she said.
Lehto said the friends who knew him during
his media days probably wouldn`t recognize him today.
No longer the cynic, he has a new faith in human kindness.
As you enter the gates of