On the front page of the UT Local Section today (1/09/2013) is a photo of Huell Howser on a harbor cruise last April. My husband and I were on that cruise, and we got to talk with Huell. He really was the same personable guy in person as he was on screen. Very likeable fellow. I asked him if he were looking for new material for his shows, and he said he was going to be retiring shortly and had more than enough material to keep him busy.
I use the past tense because yesterday Huell Howser passed away. He was only 67. He died of natural causes in his Palm Springs home. So we say farewell to a California Icon who produced many charming episodes of “California’s Gold” starting in 1990 as seen on KPBS locally. He truly was California’s best Cheerleader, making the small towns, state parks and interesting residents very accessible to his audience. His favorite word, “Amazing!”, he probably used 50 times each show. His enthusiasm was contagious. At the end of each show you always had a smile on your face.
He is gone, but not forgotten. Soon Chapman University, the recent recipient of his archive of over 2,000 half-hour shows, will make them available for online viewing - free. What a lovely gift to California.
Farewell, Huell, we’ll miss you. Thank you for all you gave us. And we’ll be seeing you.
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