This morning I read that Al “Uncle Al” Lewis passed away Saturday at the age of 84. I vaguely remember watching his show when I was a kid while growing up in Fort Thomas, especially in the days before cable TV and Nickelodeon came into my life. He wasn’t well-known outside of the Cincinnati area, but he was a beloved local institution, and his show was on the air longer than either Captain Kangaroo or Mr. Rogers. In reading his obituary, it seems like he spent his entire career doing what he truly loved. We should all be so fortunate.

The Uncle Al Show goes back to an age when local television stations produced much more of their own programming, rather than simply passing along whatever crap that comes through the feed from New York or Los Angeles. Unfortunately, it seems like the idea of truly local programming (aside from the yapping heads on the local news) has pretty much died along with Al’s show.

Rest in peace, Uncle Al.