Les inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame

At the Oregon Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, on October 9th, 2010, Lynne Sarnoff-Christensen accepted the award on behalf of her brother:

“I am so proud to have been invited here tonight to accept this award along side Rebecca, on behalf of my brother Les. He loved this community. He came here and in his heart, he never left. He had found his home.

Music was undeniably, his passion. I believe it was infused in his very soul. For as long as I can remember, the walls of our home chattered from either my Dad playing his jazz, my Mom listening to her big band music or my brothers blasting their rock and roll. We didn’t realize it then, but music was a catalyst. It was a commonality that we all shared and no matter what genre was playing…the point was…it was playing.

Les took it to heart. It was no coincidence that he left the theatre, as brilliant as he was onstage, and found his way on air. It was his destiny. My feeling is that it was his purpose to influence people. Radio gave him a much larger vehicle to drive that purpose. What I admired most was how he took his opportunities to educate us and make us aware of causes that needed our attention. He walked the walk and talked the talk.

My brother was a gentleman. He was indeed a gentle man. He would be blown away by the spirit in which you have honored him tonight.

Radio didn’t make Les. Les transformed radio…by being genuine and always available to lend his voice, his presence and his support, to any organization or event that would benefit. That is what being a part of a community is all about. He had more energy and fortitude than anyone I know.

Please continue to support the Sarnoff Channel. It was a dream and vision that he had, to create a place where we all could hear great music all of the time no matter where we were. Carl Widing promised it would come to fruition. Indeed it did through the Les Sarnoff Foundation. It needs your support so it can continue to give back to you.

We, as a family, were only separated by miles, not by love or spirit.
On behalf of my Mom, Gary, Jeff and Zach, I thank you for acknowledging his contributions and keeping his legacy alive. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”