Appelt earns Masonic Lodge honor

Masonic Grand Lodge of Texas Community Builder Award was presented to Darrel Appelt. The award was presented by the Columbus Lodge #68 representative Christian Moore.

The award is for distinguished service and personal contribution to the community.

Darrel Appelt was born in 1962 and grew up as an athlete and the son of a high school football coach, and his mom was a Kindergarten teacher.

His dad’s last coaching job was at Rice High School in the 70’s, so Darrel grew up from nine years old through high school in Eagle Lake. After graduating from Rice Consolidated High School in 1980, Darrel received a full university scholarship and attended Southwest Texas University in San Marcos for one year-before being offered a full-time radio job in Burnet, Texas, where he lived and learned all aspects of commercial radio broadcasting.

Then in 1985, the station manager job at KULM Radio became available and Darrel took the job and moved to Columbus. He got out of radio a couple of times and worked in the real estate appraisal business and also owned and operated a tree and yard service but made his way back into the radio business about 25 years ago.

When it comes to community service, Darrel has just about done it all.

• 41 years in the Lions Club (4-time President, Jack Weich Award and Melvin Jones Award recipient)

• Chamber Volunteer of the Year Award 2007

• Church Council

• Columbus ISO Media Honor Roll recipient

• Coached Youth Sports for 14 years (Baseball, Football, Basketball)

• Crimestoppers Service Award recipient

• Boys and Girls Clubs of Champion Valley Award of Recognition

• CASA Board of Director

• Columbus FFA Honorary Chapter Degree recipient • Outlet for Dear American Hero.com (Thank you coins for Veterans) On top of all the radio work and community service work, Darrel is a longtime professional musician and song writer with more recent success as a Texas Country Music recording artist. Darrel has released three original albums worldwide, since 2019.

Darrel is married (42 years) to Melanie and they have two sons and 4 grandchildren. Their oldest son Stephen is a Military War Veteran, Purple Heart Marine Sergeant (Afghanistan War), Their youngest son Kyle is a career Air Force Officer, currently a Captain, and stationed at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. Kyle’s wife, Montana, is also a Captain in the Air Force.

Darrel is a Christian, a conservative, and a Patriot and continues to work full time at 98.3 FM Radio here in Columbus as host of the morning show and an ad sales representative.