A fictional character (a mallard duck) and mascot of WRVA radio in Richmond

Richmond, Virginia

Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...

, Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

, Millard the Mallard first appeared in September 1972 as a joke when John Harding

John Tisdale Harding

John Tisdale Harding is a long-time on-air personality and News Director for WRVA.- Radio History :John's career began at WEVA in Emporia, VA when he was 14. He worked after school and on Weekends from 1959 through 1964. In 1967, he returned to WEVA to step up and run the station's first local...

, of the WRVA news staff, started making a Donald Duck

Donald Duck

Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...

-type voice during Alden Aaroe's

Alden Aaroe

Alden Peterson Aaroe was a popular longtime broadcast journalist and announcer for WRVA, a radio station in Richmond, Virginia.-Career:...

 morning show. Millard remained a daily feature for the next 28 years. In 2000, in an effort to re-invent WRVA as a serious straight news talk station, then-Program Director Randall Bloomquist had the "Millard The Mallard" features eliminated from the Morning Show, by that time hosted by Tim Timberlake. The elimination of Millard caused some disappointment among fans of the "old" WRVA.

John Harding reports that "Right now, Millard is soaking in retirement in a swamp here on our farm ... swizzles cold deliciouses and listens to deep tracks on old Miles Davis Albums. Oh yeah, and by the way, He's still upset that he got passed over for the AFLAC

Aflac

Aflac Incorporated is the largest provider of supplemental insurance in the United States, founded in 1955 and based in Columbus, Georgia. In the United States, Aflac underwrites a wide range of insurance policies, but is perhaps more known for its payroll deduction insurance coverage, which pays...

duck bits. Its tough being green."