George Basil “Scooter” Segraves III (1940–2025)

George Basil “Scooter” Segraves III, whose radio name was Scooter Seagraves, was a disc jockey who grew up in Stuttgart (Arkansas County) and went on to a long career in several urban markets. Starting with a part-time radio job at age fourteen, Segraves became a recognizable and beloved DJ to generations of radio listeners, primarily in northeastern Oklahoma but also in many other regions.

George “Scooter” Segraves was born on January 24, 1940, in Little Rock (Pulaski County) to George Basil Segraves Jr. and Marian Louise Davidson Segraves. He got his nickname as a baby because instead of crawling, he scooted along the floor. Both parents worked in the legal profession. His father worked for the Arkansas Department of Labor. In 1946, the family relocated to Stuttgart to set up a law practice. His father died on October 10, 1954, when Segraves was fourteen. Segraves had been urged to follow in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps and become an attorney, but after his father died, he gradually developed an interest in radio work.

By the age of ten, Segraves had already paid his first visit to the local radio station. He became enamored with radio and, at age fourteen, was hired by KWAK-AM station owners Melvin and June Spann to a part-time job after school, six hours a week, opening mail from record companies, filing it by category, numbering it, and typing an index card. For that, he earned 75 cents an hour.

When KWAK had an opening for an announcer, the Spanns took a chance on him. For the next several years, he attended high school each day from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., then worked 4:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at the station plus weekend shifts. In addition to presenting music, he wrote and announced thirty minutes of news.

Segraves graduated from Stuttgart High School in 1958 and attended the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to study broadcasting. Wanting to get a start in radio while at college, he was hired in 1959 by Tulsa rock and roll station KAKC-AM as an announcer. He worked weekend shifts while taking a full academic load at college, and he adopted the radio name Scooter Seagraves.

KAKC dominated the Tulsa market throughout the 1960s. By the decade’s end, he was promoted to program director. When the station lost some ground to a competitor, Segraves cut back on commercials and less-popular features to regain their market lead. He also had the DJs play album versions of songs rather than the shorter single tracks made for radio.

Segraves worked at WHBQ-AM in Memphis, Tennessee, for a short time before returning to KAKC in Tulsa in 1972. He worked there for four more years and then moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, to work a few years at WNOE-FM, a short time at WEZB-FM, and then WRNO-FM, a progressive rock station. During this time, he used the on-air name of “Soxless” Scott Segraves (or Seagraves). A shift in radio programming in this era was drawing listeners from AM to the FM format, and he was a perfect fit in the newer medium. Later, he worked at KXKC-FM, a country and western outlet in Lafayette, Louisiana.

In 1987, Segraves made a second return to Tulsa, his favorite market, to work at KQMJ-FM, a middle-of-the-road format station. Later career stops were made at stations in San Bernardino, California; Fayetteville (Washington County); and Mountain Home (Baxter County). After fifty-five years in broadcasting, Segraves retired to Bull Shoals (Marion County). He died on April 13, 2025, at Lead Hill (Boone County).

For additional information:
Coats, Cameron. “Tulsa Radio’s Scooter Seagraves, of KAKC fame, Passes Away.” Radio Ink Magazine, April 14, 2025. https://radioink.com/2025/04/14/tulsa-radios-scooter-seagraves-of-kakc-fame-passes-away/ (accessed May 13, 2026).

Mosenthin, H. Glenn, “It Wasn’t Like Work”: Stuttgart’s “Scooter” Segraves and His Storied Radio Career.” Grand Prairie Historical Bulletin 68 (October 2025): 38–40.

“Obituary: George “Scooter” Segraves III of Lead Hill.” Stuttgart Daily Leader. https://www.stuttgartdailyleader.com/obituary-george-basil-segraves-iii-of-lead-hill/ (accessed May 13, 2026).

“Scooter Seagraves.” Voices of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Historical Society, June 24, 2022. https://voicesofoklahoma.com/interviews/seagraves-scooter (accessed May 13, 2026).

H. Glenn Mosenthin
Grand Prairie Historical Society