Hopewell H. "Hope" Barroll III, a retired WFBR-AM executive who enjoyed creating gardens with his wife and was also a noted outdoorsman and eminent practical joker, died July 1 of cancer at his Ruxton home.
He was 78.
Mr. Barroll, the son of Hopewell H. Barroll Jr. and Mary Louise Maslin, was born in Baltimore and raised on Overhill Road in Roland Park.
His father, who had been executive vice president and general manager of WFBR, died in 1948.
Mr. Barroll had attended St. Paul's School and graduated in 1950 from the Solbury School in New Hope, Pa.
He attended the University of Virginia and later served in the Navy for two years aboard the battleship USS Mississippi.
Mr. Barroll began his radio career at WFBR in 1957 as an account executive and later was promoted to national sales coordinator. In 1966, he was named to the station's board of directors and also advertising and promotion director.
At the time of the station's sale to Infinity Broadcasting Co. in 1989, when he retired, Mr. Barroll was vice president and chairman of the board.
Mr. Barroll was known for his infectious personality, easygoing demeanor and ready laugh.
"Hope was a very calm guy who liked to have a good time," said Ted Lingelbach, a retired WFBR news writer.
"Hope was a character and a delightful guy. He was always walking the halls of WFBR encouraging people and talking to folks," said Ron Matz, who had worked at WFBR and is now a WJZ-TV personality.
"He was just a great guy to be around. Everyone who worked at WFBR in those years have very fond memories of Hope," Mr. Matz said. "Whenever I think of him, a smile comes across my face. He was such a marvelous guy."
Tom Marr, a longtime WCBM radio host, had earlier been a WFBR radio personality.
"Hope Barroll was, without a doubt, the kindest and gentlest man that I've ever met in my life and during my 43 years as a broadcaster in Baltimore," said Mr. Marr.
"Hope cared about his employees, and his death is a loss for the broadcasting community," Mr. Marr said. "He fought a gallant battle against cancer more than 30 years ago. The doctors gave him five years, and he lived another 35."
Mr. Barroll was 40 years old when diagnosed with neck and throat cancer, and despite surgery that resulted in the removal of part of his jaw and teeth, he refused to let it slow him down or interfere with his ardor for life.
"Hope loved saying they 'ruined his salivary glands' and that's why he had to 'keep them moist with wine,' and he enjoyed barrels of it," Carl H. Huber, a longtime Eastern Shore hunting and fishing pal, said with a laugh.
Mr. Barroll, who was an accomplished waterfowl hunter, fisherman, fly fisherman and grouse and woodcock hunter, often used hunting trips as a venue for uncorking a practical joke or two.
"He was quite the prankster and always pulling a trick or two," said Mr. Huber, who recalled the time Mr. Barroll had a small cooked pig in the back of his car carefully displayed.
"He told our friend he had a new Brittany spaniel and to go up to his car and let it out. When he opened the door, there was the pig that Hope had dressed up with a collar and sunglasses lying there," said Mr. Huber. "Hope just roared."
"Despite his illness and other setbacks, Hope enjoyed life to the fullest," he said, laughing.
In 1979, Mr. Barroll appeared in city District Court, explaining to Judge Mary Arabian the fine art of cooking skinned muskrat, known locally as marsh rabbit, and of which he was a longtime connoisseur. The judge later struck down an attempt by the city to halt the sales of skinned muskrat in city markets.
Jim Hagar, a retired Michigan broadcasting executive, became friends with Mr. Barroll when he was selling national radio advertising in the 1970s.
"I'm an ardent duck hunter and so is Hope, and I remember him saying to me, 'Don't you have any clients who like to shoot ducks?' He'd take us down to his place on Virginia's Eastern Shore, where we'd shoot canvasbacks and redheads," Mr. Hagar said.
Mr. Hagar said that his friend would travel to Michigan several times a year, where they'd hunt grouse and go fly fishing.
"He was truly unique, and I know that there will never be anyone like Hope Barroll in my life again," he said.
Mr. Barroll and his wife of 30 years, the former Virginia Driscoll, had created award-winning perennial gardens at their homes in Ruxton and Saxis, Va., where they restored a Victorian house. This past spring, they were presented the Towson Azalea House Award.
Fond of purple martins, Mr. Barroll established a colony of the songbirds at Saxis after he installed 40 birdhouses.
He also worked with the Virginia Fish and Wildlife Service, banding more than 800 birds a year and tracking their annual 6,000-mile migratory flights.
Mr. Barroll was a member of the Maryland Club, Elkridge Club and the Bachelors Cotillon.
Services were Tuesday.
Also surviving are two daughters, Brooke Barroll Davito of Baltimore and Courtney Clark Barroll of New York City; a stepdaughter, Marcia Bailey Behlert of Baltimore; a brother, Robert M. Barroll of Ruxton; and two grandchildren. An earlier marriage to Joan Clark Polk ended in divorce.