New Retro Look: The Flo Logo

For years, WFUV’s Digital Director Laura Fedele has been haunted by an old photograph.

The photo in question is of the station’s good friend and photographer Gus Philippas, taken by his father, then taking a photography class. “My dad was doing a lesson on double exposures, and I was his model.” In the early ’80s snap, Gus wears a vintage WFUV t-shirt. Laura adds, “The shirt is so retro — the logo, along with Gus’s style, captures a great vibe.”

Almost 50 years after the original, Laura re-created the logo using this photo, referencing original shirts owned by WFUV hosts Paul Cavalconte and Janet Bardini, who worked at the station as undergrads. While working on the design, she started to wonder — when did the logo premiere, and who designed it? Paul posed this question to the WFUV Alumni group on Facebook, and the hive-mind of former staff and students solved the mystery quickly!

Michael Virgintino (Fordham class of 1979) answered, “It was created under my area of promotion/HR. The design was made by a student, Flo Minton, who occasionally came to the station. She was friends with the guys who handled the Saturday morning modern jazz show.” Circa 1977, a few folks submitted logos for consideration, and Flo’s was selected.

With this new clue, we tracked Flo down, and shared the news that we were reviving her original design. We learned more about life at WFUV in the ’70s, and the long-lasting impact her radio experience has had over the decades.

WFUV: Hello Flo! Tell us a little bit about yourself when you were a WFUV student back in the day.

Flo: I attended Fordham in the Fall of 1976 and majored in Art History. I loved being able to experience New York City with all of its museums and galleries, especially being able to see works that I was studying in class in person. Being a Bronx native, it was special to return to the Bronx for college. I loved the warmth of the campus grounds and the beauty of the old stone buildings.

WFUV: We agree! Can you tell us about yourself and what you do today?

Flo: I currently live in the beautiful state of New Hampshire and work in graphic design and marketing. I am also a professional photographer and artist, creating sculptures with wood and polymer clay for my web shop, flominton.com.

FUV: What made you want to be a part of WFUV?

Flo: I recall meeting a fellow student named Brian who worked at the station as an engineer. He invited me to stop by Keating Hall and check out the studio. I went with him to take antenna readings and watched a live show being done through the glass window. From there I started hanging out around the station, doing odd tasks, learning about operations, and dreaming of the day when I might actually be able to be on air. One day at the station I met a DJ (I recall his first name was Russel) who came in on Saturday mornings to do a disco/dance music show. I finally got up the nerve to ask him if I could sit in the booth to watch him do his show. He said yes, so I started coming in and sitting in the booth with him as his assistant, pulling vinyl records out of the crate and grabbing carts.

FUV: Do you also remember how you ended up creating the WFUV logo? What was your inspiration behind the design?

Flo: It’s been so long, but I am sure the topic of the logo came up and I just put it together. Inspiration? I mean, the logo is pure ’70s! The font, the outlines… it screams ’70s, so I guess I was just going with the times.

FUV: Is there anything about your experience at WFUV that's helped you over the years?

Flo: Absolutely! At one point I opened a Senior Care business in Scottsdale, AZ. To help market the company I went to the most popular local talk radio station in Phoenix to purchase an hour of airtime on the weekend, and started doing my own weekly one-hour show called Live Long, Live Well.

FUV: What was the experience like, creating your own show?

Flo: I bought a small mixer and a few mics to do interviews, and put together features about topics of interest to seniors. It was really cool to sit at home and listen to my own show. It was quite different from the days of vinyl records and 8-track carts, but it was definitely my experience at WFUV that gave me the confidence to produce my own show in a major market like Phoenix.

FUV: What do you remember most about your time at WFUV?

Flo: As it turns out, I did actually get a chance to be on air, which was something I'll never forget. During one of the shows, [Russel] turned to me and said, “OK, you're up next — intro the next song.” I thought I would pass out, but I put on a headset, he gave me the signal, and I spoke into the mic. I was hooked immediately and we did the show together from then on. He gave me the nickname “Sista Flo” and it stuck. We had a lot of regular listeners and we took calls and requests on air. It was a ball — one of the coolest things I've done in my life!

FUV: How does it feel seeing the logo again, and knowing it's getting a new life with new WFUV listeners?

Flo: It was a huge surprise when you contacted me, and it was very emotional to hear that you were reviving the logo. I have great memories of that time back in the ’70s when WFUV was a student-run station. Some of the friends I made at the station also hosted shows on WFUV and went on to big careers in radio. It was a thrill to have been there during that exciting time. I can’t wait to see the ’70s logo on the new swag!

Get your WFUV retro shirt, hat, or tote bag now as a thank you gift when you support WFUV today.

Flo Minton in 2023 with her new favorite tee