Long Illness Claims Cedic James

The Seattle broadcasting community was  saddened yesterday by the passing of Melkor McGuire Odom, who used the radio name Cedric James.
When I was at WSU, Mel was the morning man at KUGR, the student radio station.  He would often stop by our dorm to visit friends.  A tall, athletic, outgoing man, you couldn't miss him. He could often be seen playing basketball on the outside court of Stimson Hall, where he lived in his freshman year.
When I had a morning class at the Murrow building which also housed the KUGR studio, I would often come into to visit.  Even though he was just a Freshman, Mel could do his show, talk to me, and tease the news reporters.  Mel's voice was smooth and articulate.  It was obvious that a career in broadcasting awaited him.  He also had a tremendous knowledge of music. He was gregarious and also brutally honest. 
He would work in sales at KZOK and was on air recently at the smooth jazz station in Seattle.
Mel's health issues caught up to him in his adult life.  When I saw him in later years, he had gotten heavier.  I had seen him last in the mid 1980s at a party in Seattle.
I caught up to him when I joined facebook, we often chatted when playing online Texas Holdem. he alluded to his health troubles, but always in a smiling positive way.  A few years ago, a benefit was held to raise money for his medical expenses.
When Mel's health took a turn for the worst, he updated his friends on his condition by posting on Facebook, hinting he would be leaving us soon.  I  had just read his last status update, where he expressed his love for his friends,  when I learned of his passing.