Alan Berg
Early life
Berg was a native of Chicago, Illinois. There are conflicting reports on his exact birthdate, typically being reported as January 1 or January 18, while Berg's birth record gives the date as January 9. He was the elder of two children to Joseph Berg (1897–1983), an English-born dentist, and Ruth Kanter (1909–1994), a clothing shop owner from St. Louis. The family was Jewish, but according to Berg, his father hid their faith from clients and neighbors. Berg graduated high school at 17 and married Judith Lee Berg (née Halpern) in 1951. They annulled the marriage after 30 days, but remarried in 1958. The couple had no children and divorced in 1978.
Early life
He attended the University of Colorado Denver before transferring to the University of Denver. At age 22, Berg was one of the youngest people to pass the Illinois state bar examination and he went into practice in Chicago. However, he began to experience neuromuscular seizures and had become an alcoholic. His wife convinced him to quit his practice to seek help. They moved to Denver, her hometown, and he entered rehabilitation voluntarily. Although he completed his treatment, he continued to be plagued by seizures. He was ultimately diagnosed with a brain tumor. After it was surgically removed, he made a full recovery. For the rest of his life, Berg wore long bangs to hide the surgical scars.
Radio career
Berg worked at a shoe store and later opened a clothing store in Denver where he met KGMC talk show host Laurence Gross. Impressed with Berg, Gross made him a guest on several occasions. When Gross left KGMC to take a job in San Diego, California, he requested that Alan Berg be named his successor.
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