Alden Peterson Aaroe (May 5, 1918 – July 7, 1993) was a broadcast journalist and announcer for WRVA, a radio station in Richmond, Virginia.
Before coming to WRVA, Aaroe was a newscaster at WCHV in Charlottesville, Virginia, 1939–1941.[1]
Aaroe worked for more than 40 years at WRVA, an AM radio station known as the "50,000 watt Voice of Virginia". As a radio personality, Aaroe is remembered for his news reporting and his bantering with a fictional duck called "Millard the Mallard" during morning rush hour in Richmond during the 1970s. In 1991, Aaroe hosted a regular segment aimed at senior citizens called "For 55 Plus" on Sunday newscasts for WRIC-TV, which broadcasts on Channel 8 in Richmond.
Aaroe also founded the WRVA-Salvation Army Shoe Fund, which provides shoes for needy children and has raised $5.6 million in its 36-year history. In 1986, Virginia Governor Gerald Baliles proclaimed Alden Aaroe Day in honor of his public service.
In 1993, Alden Aaroe died of cancer after a long illness. His funeral was held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, located across the street from the site of the former WRVA studio where Aaroe first served. He was buried in Richmond's Hollywood Cemetery. The Shoe Fund, now called the WRVA/Salvation Army Alden Aaroe Shoe Fund, still provides approximately 2,500 children with new shoes each year.