Don Herbert, the "Mr. Wizard" of 1950s television, died in Los Angeles yesterday at the age of 89. He was not a scientist but knew how to make experiments and principles visible to kids, by using everyday objects from the household. He also featured 11 and 12-year-olds on his show, and his easy, respectful manner toward them was a model of good teaching.Such a nice man was, naturally, from the Midwest. He grew up in Minnesota, went to college in Wisconsin, and broke in his TV show on WMAQ in Chicago. Many scientists today give him credit for inspiring their careers. He continued to appear on television long after the 1950s, and in recent years he reprised his original shows on DVDs.
A full obituary appears in the New York Times and many other online newspapers.
1 comment:
I loved Mr. Wizard. His great appeal was the way he related to the kids who visited his lab and participated in the experiments. Otherwise I doubt I would have been so interested.
Dave and I used to watch a show called "Newton's Apple" (I believe that was the name). The host's sidekick was a skeleton named Dead Ernest. Maybe kids don't have the attention span or time to watch such shows now, but I was fascinated by both shows and actually learned from them.
Barbara Edmiston Mitchell
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