Hugh Downs

LONGTIME TV HOST

∗ Born February 14, 1921 in Akron, Ohio; is a descendant of frontiersman Davy Crockett

∗ Began broadcasting career as announcer at WLOK in Lima, Ohio after his first year of college in 1939, then to WWJ Detroit before serving in the U.S. Army during World War II

∗ Joined NBC radio network at WMAQ Chicago; appeared in his first TV news broadcast in 1945 from the experimental studio of what is now WBBM Chicago

∗ Held announcing jobs in the 1950s for Hawkins Falls (TV’s first soap opera), The Home Show starring Arlene Francis, Sid Caesar’s Ceasar’s Hour, and the Kukla, Fran and Ollie children’s show

∗ Served as Jack Paar’s announcer on the Tonight Show from 1957 until 1962, when Paar was succeeded by Johnny Carson

∗ Hosted TV’s Concentration game show (1958-1968); the Today Show (1962-1971); Not For Women Only (1975-1976) with Barbara Walters; and Over Easy (1977-1983), a PBS program about aging

∗ Moved to Carefree in 1969, flying to and from New York every week for work; is an airplane pilot and a hot-air balloon pilot

∗ Hosted ABC news magazine 20/20 with Barbara Walters (1978-1999)

∗ Served as a United Nations special consultant for refugees (1961-1964) and was longtime board chairman of the U.S. Committee for UNICEF (the U.N. International Children’s Fund)

∗ Sailed in a 65-foot ketch from Florida though the Panama Canal and onto various destinations in the Pacific, which he describes in his 1967 book A Shoal of Stars

∗ Wrote a regular column for Science Digest, which was compiled into his 1970 book Rings Around Tomorrow

∗ Served as president and chairman of the National Space Institute (today known as the National Space Society) and continues to serve as chairman of its board of governors; was a science consultant to Westinghouse Laboratories and the Ford Foundation; was an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences

∗ Was a trustee of the Menninger Foundation, a member of the NASA Advisory Council, and chairman of the geriatrics research and education committee at Mount Sinai Medical Center

∗ Attended Bluffton College, Wayne University and Columbia University; has a post-master’s degree in gerontology from Hunter College (CUNY); received honorary doctoral degrees from Hunter College, St. John’s University, University of Maryland, Daniel Webster College and Arizona State University

∗ Authored 12 books on a variety of subjects including those mentioned above, plus three books on aging (Thirty Dirty Lies About Old Age, Fifty to Forever, The Best Years Book), an autobiography (Yours Truly, Hugh Downs), his TV career (On Camera: My 10,000 Hours on Television) , and a collection of his ABC radio essays (Perspectives), among others

∗ Certified in 1985 by the Guinness Book of World Records as having appeared the most hours on U.S. television (15,188), but was exceeded by Regis Philbin in 2004; has appeared in broadcasts from every continent and both poles

∗ Received six Emmy Awards, and has been honored by many organizations including National Conference of Christians and Jews, the Daughters of the American Revolution, National Council on Family Relations, and was named Broadcaster of the Year from the International Radio and Television Society, among others

∗ Inducted into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame in 2007 during its first year along with Peter Marshall, Wink Martindale and Monty Hall

∗ Appeared in Arizona public service announcements for the Motor Vehicles Division and Hospice of the Valley

∗ Narrated Aaron Copland’s Lincoln Portrait on stage with the Phoenix Symphony as part of Arizona’s centennial celebration in 2012

∗ Inspired the naming of the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication at Arizona State University (where he has been a frequent lecturer) and the auditorium at Shawnee High School in Lima, Ohio

∗ Moved from Cave Creek to Scottsdale in 1999, then to Paradise Valley, where he lives today; wife Ruth, whom he married in 1944, died in 2017

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