Al DeRusha Your referee is
By Nick Gerhardt ngerhardt@northfieldnews.com
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l DeRusha’s introduction to work led him to the carnival and in many ways his career path has remained similar to that of a carnival work with its myriad adventures. If fact, DeRusha still works in the carnival industry following four decades in television that included work with World Wrestling Entertainment, Vern Gagne with the American Wrestling Association, Lunch With Casey and just about any Twin Cities sports figure. Much of DeRusha’s career path has stemmed from being in the right spot at the right time. After working with the carnival as a kid -- starting at 6 years old -- DeRusha took part in a work-study program for high school seniors at Humboldt High School in St. Paul He got out of school early to work at various places like St. Paul Plastics and the Fischer Nut Company. DeRusha got his start in television after a classmate, who was selected to work at WMIN as a mail boy, couldn’t take the gig because he didn’t have a driver’s license. DeRusha was next in line for the position and went on to spend the next 20 years working with the station through its various changes. “The only thing I knew about television was the little screen in the hardware store,” DeRusha said. “It just happened. In 1953, the only ones who knew anything about broadcasting were the engineers from radio. We all kind of learned together. It was
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just another job.” It became a career and led DeRusha to hold several titles from prop guy to floor director to director to production director to directing the news, sports and weather. “Many times I signed the station on in the morning and signed it off in the evening,” DeRusha said. In 1968 De Rusha left the production side of television and entered the sales side of things until 1973 when he got an opportunity to produce and
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