Jerry Taff

Jerry Taff, the main anchor for Channel 12 WISN from 1979 through 2005, died last night at his home in Texas.  He was 85.

Taff was a ubiquitous face in my first three decades on this planet.  My family most often tuned in to watch the news on Channel 12, which famously had its real life newsroom running in the background of the newscast. (We watched Channel 6 less frequently, bougie Channel 4 rarely if at all).

Taff, a Texas native who mentored documentarian Michael Moore while working in Detroit, was the face of WISN, and a trusted one - the Cronkite of Milwaukee in that regard. 

 

He had his faults: he was fired for two years in the mid-80's, for reasons I know longer recall, causing him to miss reporting on a passenger jet crash here in '85. He also had an alleged feud with longtime co-anchor Marty Burns Wolfe that wasn't a very well kept secret.

When he signed off his newscasts, he did so with a signature phrase that still sounds like the best wish possible to me:  Good Night, and Better Tomorrows. 

Good night Jerry.  Rest in Peace.

Diane Keaton

Diane Keaton, the talented and iconic actress best known for Annie Hall and for playing Kay in The Godfather trilogy,  has passed away at age 79.

Her Academy Award winning career spanned from the first Broadway run of Hair in 1968 to the current day. 

The photo above is from her 1987 comedy Baby Boom which my parents took us to see at the theater. It was the start of quite the crush for me, a feeling that deepened the next year when my freshman crush Joanie had a passing resemblance to Keaton.

RIP

RIP Huckleberry, We Will Miss You Always

This post is long overdue.  It should have been published on the day it happened, September 8th, but it was just too hard to get myself in front of a keyboard and put it out there for the public. 

Huckleberry, the greatest dog that ever lived, has passed away. He was only 5 years old. 

On September 28th I took him to the vet and dropped about $500 on tests. He'd been sick for a few weeks, but honestly the only symptom seemed to be a decrease in appetite. He refused so many kinds of dog food that we tried human food, but our good boi would turn down that too. With his weight loss noticeable, I took him in. 

I expected the doctor to tell us he had some parasite or an allergy. Instead, before she even ordered the labs she told me she thought it was cancer, lymphoma to be precise. Sympathetically, but firmly, she said "He will be gone by Halloween."

WTH. 

"And if we treat it?" I asked. 

"Then he will still be gone by this time next year, but he'll have spent a lot of that time sick from the chemo."

But, she then backed up a little and said that I should wait until next Tuesday for the blood results before making any decisions.  (Monday was Labor Day)

On the way home, distraught, I took Huck for a car ride and let him explore the expansive fields north of the airport. 

I kept the news secret for a day before I couldn't bear it alone. After work the next day Lisa sent me to pick up dog stairs to help him get into the bed, after noticing he suddenly had trouble making the leap. 

Late Friday I was rattled by a disconcerting phone message from the vet, telling me if Huckleberry were to decline rapidly over the weekend and was suffering, I should take him to XX for euthanasia . .  . just how advanced did she fear it was????

Tuesday we got the answer, It was cancer, it was bad, and it had affected his stomach as well, causing some internal bleeding. We started him on 2 medicines and continued to pamper him like mad. 

The prohibition on dogs riding in my car? Temporarily lifted. 

If someone went out, Huckleberry went with them. 

Each day he declined a noticeable degree. His attempts to get on the bed were sadder and sadder. We booked a camping excursion with the intent of taking him on one last adventure, and booked it for the second week of September. He would not live to see it.  

Meanwhile everyone spent time with him, friends stopped in to see him, and he spent time at the dog park with Lulu

and Lisa and I, with my MIL in tow, took him to a sniff spot in Kenosha County, where he and Sawyer had sole possession of two acres in which to roam. 

Unfortunately, by that time he was declining  quite a bit, got tuckered out, and largely just lounged. Not that there's anything wrong with taking it easy. 

We made the decision to put him down, scheduling it for September 8th, only 11 days after his diagnosis, as he was beginning to suffer, and his bowel movements were liquid and he no longer always had the strength to get outside fast enough to dispose of it there. 

My friend Seth heard of Huckleberry's illness and dropped off plentiful treats for his last day

Likewise, my long time friend Tre asked if Huckle could come over and visit. He and his family gave me a chocolate bar to give him in his last moments - "no one should die without knowing the goodness of chocolate" he said - and my Godson TJ walked him around their block. Although it wore out Huck, he enjoyed it immensely. 

His last day he was taken to the dog park and pampered throughout the day. When I got home from work a little early, Lisa, Junie, and I took him to the vet. I have pictures, but will not post them here. He wagged his tail for the vet (he was Huckle until the end), and devoured with relish that Hershey bar Tre bought him. 

 Lisa sang to him as he passed away 

HE'S THE BESTEST BOI AND WE LOVE HIMMMMM

SOOOO MUCH 

HUCKLEBERRY HUCKLEBERRY HUCKLEBERRYYYYYYYYYYY

HE'S THE BEST

And then he was gone. And so was a huge part of our hearts. 

Robert Redford

Robert Redford, the man who may have been the greatest film actor of the last sixty years, passed away in his sleep today. He was 89.

His on-screen career stretched from the 1950's through 2019, from all-time classics like Barefoot in the Park and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, to Marvel movies like Avengers: Endgame.

I remember him best from 3 Days of the Condor, The Natural, and All is Lost. I thought about that last one just the other day. An old man, alone on a sinking sailboat, facing death with all the fury and stubborn refusal to die as someone a third his age - and not one word of dialouge. A powerful performance by a wonderful actor. 

RIP

Davey Johnson

Davey Johnson, the umiquitous MLB manager who led the Mets to a World title in 1986, has passed away.  He was 82.

To me, Johnson seemed to always either be managing in the bigs (he managed the Mets, Reds, Orioles, Dodgers, and Nationals) or in talks to do so.  Frankly, it's kinda odd to realize MLB has, to date, survived 12 years without his employment. 

RIP sir. 

Happy Heavenly Birthday

Had her life not been stolen from her in the summer of 1993, Mia Zapata would have celebrated her 60th birthday today. 

Her memory, and her musiał gift, lives on in the recordings of The Gits.

RIP Mia. You should still be with us.

Malcolm Jamal Warner

Malcolm Jamal Warner, Aka Theo on The Cosby Show, has reportedly died by drowning while on vacation in Costa Rica. He was 54.

RIP

Loretta Swit

Loretta Swit, who was nominated for ten Emmys for her portrayal of Major Margaret Houlihan on M*A*S*H,  winning two, has died. She was 87.

RIP

Peter David

The comic book world lost a legitimate Great yesterday with the passing of writer Peter David.  He was 68.

David was a prolific author,  spanning several titles,  but his 12 year run with the Hulk was legendary. But don't limit his talent to that medium alone. He was an excellent prose author too, with a style that flowed so naturally it made me jealous.

I'm infinitely proud that books I read and loved in the '80's, the Photon series, were in fact written by David himself (although under the pen name of David Peters.) In my opinion,  that just cements the fact that I had good taste even as a kid. 

RIP sir. 

RIP Mr. Eggener

The same day I heard about Ms. Kusch dying, I was told my 7th grade teacher, Mr. Eggener, had also just passed away. Here's how I remember him, with a smile, glasses, and a mustache. 

I hadn't seen him since 1989, at my sister's graduation, but according to his obituary photo he really leaned into the facial hair over the years. He looked good. 

 

If you take the time to read the extended death notice below, you'll see what was evident to his students, even if we weren't privy to all the details listed there: he was an intelligent, fun loving guy who devoted himself to his family, and to the causes and hobbies that he believed in. 

He started working at St. Adalbert's partway through 7th grade, when his predecessor, Mr Anderson, was fired. I liked Anderson, but I quickly recognized Mr. Eggener was a man to respect, and the superior teacher. 

I remember him telling us he was a Vietnam vet (and that's probably all he ever said of it to us), I remember he was very kind to my sister Katie, who followed a year behind me, and I remember asking him - Lord help the naivety of a 12 year old in the '80's - if the recently deceased Liberace had been gay LOL

He was, to quote one of my Grandma's favorite phrases,  "a good Joe."

RIP

************* 

RIP Ms. Kusch /Mrs. Miles

I found out from a former classmate that our 3rd grade teacher, Miss Kusch, passed away April 3rd at the age of 69. 

 My memories of 3rd grade are rather dull and limited: 

The classroom was on the second floor, third from the west (it went 2nd, 1st, 3rd, 4th in that direction) with windows overlooking Beecher St. 

For some reason we had to create life sized scarecrows of ourselves with a cardboard face featuring our self portrait. I am not, and was not an artist, but basing my technique on a sketch of Fred from Scooby Doo, I did a fairly impressive job (for me).  I still have that face in some storage bin here LOL

Once a week a student had to do a presentation to the class about their life. It was called "All About Me" and my project, still intact, is also in storage LOL

[Alex Q mocked my thoroughness on the project. Ha. Time showed him. He grew up to be the most prosperous and successful of our class, whereas I write this blog]

I remember Ms. Kusch was, if memory served, engaged to her future husband for most of that school year. 

And remember an end of year picnic held at her house. Here's a picture taken that day in 1983. I'm the kid in the Brewers hat and red, white, and blue collared shirt. 

Ms. Kusch taught at my grade school for 36 years, all but a few of them after I was in her class. That's an impressive feat, and I'm sure she made a difference for a lot of kids. 

RIP

Val Kilmer

I first saw him when my Dad took us to see Real Genius in 1985, and I was happy to watch his career take off in the following years.  RIP sir, you were a hell of an actor. 

Bob Uecker

 

Milwaukee native Bob Uecker, the voice of the Brewers, died today only a short while before his 91st birthday. 

Uecker was ubiquitous here in Milwaukee throughout my life. A former weak-hitting MLB catcher, he began calling games for the Brewers 3 years before I was born, and continued through 2024. He starred in a successful sitcom, Mr. Belevedere, in the '80's, was a standout in Miller Lite commercials, and brought his humor to the silver screen in the Major League movies.

He was genuinely, instinctively funny, and his love for Milwaukee, and the Brewers, knew no limits.. I'm sorry we didn't give him the chance to call a championship for the Crew.  

RIP

Linda Lavin

Linda Lavin, the Tony and Emmy  winning actress best known for the titular role in the sitcom Alice, has died.  She was 87.

I know her in part for her time on Barney Miller, but of course she's always been Alice to me.  That show ran from '76 to '85 - from when I was two to age eleven, so essentially the best chunk of my childhood - and while it was never a household favorite it got regular airplay all the same. 

RIP

Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter,  the 39th President of the United States and the first to live to 100, died today after a long illness. 

Carter is the first President I personally remember, although my memories are largely negative and intertwined with his sucesssor: the Iran hostage crisis,  a 1980 Reagan commercial featuring an aircraft carrier, and watching Reagan's inauguration and hearing how Iran smited Carter by delaying the hostage release.

My Dad, a lifelong Democrat,  told me he abandoned Carter in 1980. Pop's opinion of Carter's Presidency was not kind. 

As with most of America, my own views of Carter softened with four decades of post-Presidental service.  I remember him here in Milwaukee,  building homes with Habitat for Humanity, and being protested by the local idiot Alderman, Michael McGee. 

I don't doubt Carter's worth as a human.

I do however, think history has reassessed his term too favorably,  just by nature of him being alive so long.  It was not,  by any objective measure, a successful four years for this country.

Even so, he was our President and gave this nation his all, and for that,  he deserves the respect of every American. 

RIP

Rickey Henderson

Rickey Henderson,  the all-time stolen base king and 2009 Cooperstown inductee,  has died of pneumonia.  He was 65.

It may be a controversial choice to some,  but if I was to manage a team of MLB's all-time greatest players,  I'd have Henderson at the top of the lineup. 

In my mind,  there was been no greater leadoff hitter in the long history of the sport. 1406 stolen bases. 3,055 hits and 2190 walks.  297 home runs and 510 doubles. 1,115 RBI's to go along with a record 2,295 runs. An OBP of .401 and more than 111 career WAR.

My word. 

I still remember the day in 1982 when he broke the record for most stolen bases in a season,  right here in Milwaukee.  I seem to remember my Dad thought Rickey came off as a pompous here that day,  and maybe he was; sometimes humility takes awhile to catch up with immense talent. 

RIP Rickey. You were spectacular. 

Chuck Woolery

When I was in grade school we were allowed to return home for lunch each day at 11:30, and with rare exceptions my sisters and I did. When we were younger we'd watch Seasame Street in that hour but in the later years we'd tune in to Love Connection,  the dating show hosted by Chuck Woolery.

A contestant would be shown three videos of prospective suitors (cashing in on the popularity of video dating at the time.) The in-studio audience would vote for which one was the best choice, with the result disclosed later,  and then the contestant

would reveal who he or she had chosen and actually gone out with on a date. Their choice would appear by video from backstage,  and the two would describe the date for Chuck, with the best ones being tales of awkward encounters. The audience poll was then revealed,  and the contestant was offered a date with the winner,  on the shows dime, or a second date with their original choice. If they chose their original connection,  he or she would be brought out to reunite with them on stage.

Silly,  but fun.  And Woolery, a veteran host of several other game shows, kept it light but with a modicum of class. He was great.

Chuck Woolery died today at the age of 83. 

RIP