This story has been updated to include a link to his published obituary in the last paragraph.
Dan Sessler, who owned and led RF Specialties of Texas, has died. He was 74.
News of his passing was circulated by the broadcast equipment supplier and by the Texas Association of Broadcasters.
The RF Specialties Group is an alliance of independent broadcast suppliers. RF Specialties of Texas serves a six-state region, according to the group’s website.
Dan Sessler studied electrical engineering at Mountain State University; and his first radio engineering job was in West Virginia. He went into station ownership and helped build a local public TV station in Beckley, W.Va.
He was a district sales manager for Harris Corp.’s broadcast division from 1988 to 2010, according to his LinkedIn page.
Sessler acquired the Texas operation from Don Jones in 2010, as RW reported at the time.
“TAB named Sessler Associate of the Year in 2017 for his many years of service to Texas Radio and TV stations, as well as his vital contributions to the TAB Convention & Trade Show,” the Texas association wrote on its website.
“Dan Sessler was a mentor and friend to hundreds of Texas broadcasters,” said TAB President Oscar Rodriguez. “His standards of service were a model to all. And his passion for the industry was reflected in his personal commitment to organizations like TAB where he helped us build the annual TAB Show into the great success it is.
SBE Chapter 56 Chairman Don Dobbs also noted Sessler’s passing. “I have know Dan for many years having purchased transmitters and microwave equipment,” he wrote to Radio World. “He was always supportive of the local SBE chapters, buying ads on our website and taking us out for annual holiday dinners.”
More information about Sessler’s life is in this obituary. It reports that his interests included flying, scuba diving, photography, amateur radio and history; he also had an interest in politics, having served on the local city council. It said that a private graveside service was planned with his immediate family.
