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David "Doc" Kirby

David "Doc" Kirby has been a part of the Troy community since coming to Troy State University in 1973 to "be in Dr. Long's Band". While in the Sound of the South he met and married Troy native Becky Griffin and they settled here after graduation. Doc came to WTBF March 1975, while in Graduate School to be a band director, He was hired as a full-time Music Director and Salesman in 1976, Production and Music Director in 1977, and Program Director in 1979. He has also become a Methodist preacher (1990) , owned his own business (Doc's Music Place, 1986-90), raised two sons who also worked at WTBF Radio (Sean and Scott), squeezed in some time as a high school band, chorus & drama teacher and began teaching in the Hall School of Journalism at his alma mater in 2004. He is still Operations & Program Manager at WTBF AM and FM, despite teaching full-time at TROY, and has hosted and produced ON THE BOOKSHELF, a weekly 30 minute interview show, since 1992, plus his daily review show, BOOK BITS. His favorite memories at WTBF are of the hundreds of TROY students who trained under him as announcers, some of whom have gone on to careers in journalism, and the times he has been a part of special service to the community through WTBF.

Check Out Doc's On The Bookshelf interviews and Book-Bits!

Journalism's Kirby travels to Israel with jazz team

Troy University journalism lecturer David "Doc" Kirby lets his trumpet do his talking, rather than his pen.

His latest travels in November took him to Israel as part of a jazz team through the Global Missions Project. Previous trips have taken him to Cuba, Brazil, Greece, Russia, Finland and the Ukraine- in addition to a Nashville, TN recording session.

"Music gives you a way to connect with people who are very different than yourself-even those who are hostile at first, " he said. "It is truly an international language."

During the trip, Kirby and the band played concerts in Bethlehem, Tel Aviv, Tiberius and Jerusalem-seven concerts in all; and toured several historic sites. "To see these sites, to walk where three great faiths struggle for dominance, to play jazz music for visitors and residents alike is a great blessing," said Kirby.

The group visited Megiddo, a 5,000-year old city overlooking the valley of Armageddon, hiked the Masada, floated in the Dead Sea, rode a boat in the Sea of Galilee, and visited Capernaum, as well as "walked streets in Jerusalem built by the Crusaders in the 12th century."

Kirby, who earned a Bachelor of Music Education and a master's degree in theater education at TROY, is a long-time program director at WTBF radio in Troy. He is a member of the Troy University #1 Jazz Ensemble, a charter member of the Southeast Community Band and a member of the Troy University Alumni Band.