Old Memories

Joe Wessels column in this week's CityBeat is a loving tribute to Cincinnati icon Uncle Al. While I didn't grow up in Cincinnati and watch Uncle Al, I saw several parallels to my own life. Where you had Uncle Al, in Cleveland we had Barnaby on WUAB 43. It's been so long I can't remember much specifically about him but I do remember him as kindly, older guy, not unlike Captain Kangaroo. I tried searching for info but couldn't find anything which makes me wonder if anyone else remembers him at all.
Like Joe, I'd always look for the WJW studios right along the Shoreway. He looked for Uncle Al down here, while I looked for the weatherman, Dick Goddard. This guy was my hero when I was a kid- I was fascinated by the weather. I wanted to do that when I grew up & my grandma bought me his books, which were crammed with information about all kinds of weather. He's been on the air so long, I thought he must have retired by now, but he was still going at it when I was up north at Christmas. The guy is a weather diety.
We also had the tv that turned with a dial and took five minutes to warm up. Not only that, but after years of use, the dial wore out and you had to turn it with a pair of pliers. I also remember my dad going down to the drugstore to test and buy tubes for the thing. Christmas gift to the family at 15- after the original moved up to Maine and back- a new tv.