Twenty-one-year-old Howard Stern took a class on FCC regulations in Fredericksburg in 1975 and got a "C."
Then he got fined millions by the FCC.
Then he signed a half-billion-dollar radio contract at the end of 2004.
Spotsylvania County native Raymond W. Gill Jr. might want to think about reopening the Shannon Airport broadcasting school where he taught Stern and 1,500 other students in the '70s and '80s.
After all, Gill has a glowing endorsement from "The King of All Media," who recently signed the biggest deal in broadcasting history with Sirius Satellite Radio.
Last week, Gill laughed about the idea of cashing in on the "shock jock's" success, saying, "If I thought that would work, I might consider it."
The problem is that Stern became famous, then rich, by ignoring much of what Gill taught him about the FCC.
The course included basic physics, basic electronics, principles of radio and television broadcasting, and, Gill said with a chuckle, "oddly enough, FCC rules and regulations."
In 1975, when he was 21, Stern left his Long Island, N.Y., home to come to the Radio Engineering Institute of Electronics near Shannon Airport on the recommendation of a friend. After 162.5 hours of study, he received a grade of "C."
When Stern published his autobiography "Private Parts," which later became a film, he sent a copy of the book to Gill. Stern inscribed it: "To the man who made it all possible."
He also sent Gill a letter that said: "You have no idea how many times over the years I told everyone my war stories about my summer in Fredericksburg.
"Let me go on the record and tell you how much your class meant to me," Stern wrote. "It proved to me that I could do anything if I put my mind to it. Your style and confidence were inspirational, and there isn't another teacher in the world like you."
Stern is scheduled to make his move to the satellite network in January 2006. Jim Collins, a vice president at Sirius in New York, told The Free Lance-Star that the network expects Stern to bring a piece of his huge fan base with him.
Stern told David Letterman recently the primary motivation for the change is freedom. The FCC does not regulate satellite radio content.
There's speculation the move could come sooner than 2006, due to continuing turbulence.
Yesterday, The Associated Press reported that Stern said on the air that Citadel Broadcasting Corp. is dropping his show from stations in Syracuse, N.Y., Providence, R.I., Harrisburg, Pa., and Grand Rapids, Mich., because the program had become "an infomercial" for Sirius.
And the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Tuesday that Miami's WQAM, an AM station, is dropping Stern for unspecified reasons.
The show continues to be heard on 41 stations across the country.
Gill and Stern continue to exchange periodic e-mails and holiday cards.
"Howard is excited about the move because of the creative freedom involved," Gill said.
Today, Gill runs a Fredericksburg-based company, Performance Consultants Ltd., that advises businesses on the potential of job candidates and IT decisions.
"At the time, I would have said he had a great deal of potential," Gill said of the young Stern. "I wouldn't have said it would have led him where he is today. But I would have labeled him a high-potential trainee.
"There's certainly no one like Howard," he said.
In addition to being tall and gawky, he remembered Stern as "a very intelligent guy, very sharp."
Stern's refusal to play it safe has led to problems for him along the way, including firings, but he was never deterred. He has radically changed the face of radio, opening the door for other controversial personalities.
Gill said that even though Stern's radio persona can be cutting, he is "a very, very nice and very sensitive person."
Staff librarian Craig Schulin contributed to this story.
To reach MICHAEL ZITZ: 540/374-5408 mikez@freelancestar.com