(WBEN) - Sandy Beach is remembered not just for his infectious laugh, but also for his voice that was "Bigger than life, and twice as loud."
There were few causes that voice helped during his decades of broadcasting in Buffalo more than the SPCA.
"He helped the SPCA so much behind the scenes, people really don't know how much he helped what they ended up seeing," said Gina Lattuca, Chief Communications Officer at the SPCA Serving Erie County. "The finished product they ended up seeing, some people really don't know how much Sandy Beach had to do with all of that."
Lattuca worked with Beach in radio in the late 1980s, and remembered how much love he showed when the animals from the SPCA would visit his show. When she began working for the SPCA, Beach was one of the first people she reached out to.
Loving all animals doesn't mean you can't play favorites.
"Cats were by far his favorite animals, he loved his cats especially his Bengals," Lattuca said.
But it didn't stop there.
"He was so passionate about all animals, and when Sandy would hear about animal cruelty, maybe even a high profile animal cruelty case, he was fierce during his monologues about his zero tolerance for animal cruelty and the people who were capable of that."
"If it mattered to the animals, it mattered to Sandy."
Beach passed away at the age of 86 following a brief illness.
The legendary Buffalo broadcaster passed away at 86 after a brief illness
The legendary Buffalo broadcaster passed away at 86 after a brief illness
