THE HAT SQUAD: "ENGINEER BILL" STULLA

While I was on vacation, one of those who enriched Toobworld by their presence in the early days of the medium passed away. Bill Stulla, known to millions of little kids back in the fifties as "Engineer Bill", died at the age of 97.

Engineer Bill was a character in children's television out on the West Coast, so it's not a show that was a part of my childhood. For me, it was Hap Richards, Ranger Andy, and Mr. Goober. And Captain Kangaroo, of course!

So I'm not one who could present a decent tribute to the man and what he meant to his audience back then. Instead, let me supply this link to his obituary and one to an appreciation for his show. That way those who remember him can enjoy a nostalgic trip back to their pasts and the rest of us can enjoy what made him special to the kids at home watching Toobworld in its infancy.

[Bill Stulla is pictured here in 1990 with a frame grab of himself, and with his co-star Chucko the Clown.]

BCnU!
Toby O'B