The Memorial Wall

Allan Blye, a television comedy writer and producer who helped cement the Smothers Brothers’ reputation for irreverence in the late 1960s and later collaborated with Bob Einstein to create the hapless daredevil character Super Dave Osborne, died on Oct. 4 at his home in Palm Desert, Calif. He was 87.

His wife, Rita Blye, confirmed the death. She said he had been in hospice care for Parkinson’s disease.

Mr. Blye was a writer and singer on variety shows in Canada when he received a surprise call in 1967 from Tom Smothers asking him to join the writing staff of the series that he and his brother, Dick, would be hosting on CBS.

“I couldn’t believe it was Tom Smothers,” Mr. Blye said in an interview with the Television Academy in 2019. “I thought it was Rich Little doing an impression of Tom Smothers.”

“The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” was unlike any other variety show. The brothers were renowned as a comical folk-singing duo: Tom played the naïve, guitar-playing buffoon, and Dick, who played the double bass, was the wise straight man. They had creative control of the series, which emboldened them and their writers to be more outspoken as they addressed politics, the Vietnam War, religion and civil rights — and their forthrightness during a divisive era increasingly angered some viewers, CBS censors, some of the network’s affiliates and conservative groups.

Mr. Blye and his writing partner, Mason Williams — best known for writing and performing the hit guitar instrumental “Classical Gas” — worked on the deadpan editorials delivered regularly by Pat Paulsen, a mournful-looking cast member who used the show as a platform to run for president in 1968 as the candidate of the S.T.A.G. (Straight Talking American Government) Party.

“These were double talk, they didn’t make sense,” Mr. Blye told The Los Angeles Times in 1970. “Pat closed with the line that if viewers wanted copies of the editorial, they could have them by sending in stamped, self-addressed envelopes. We got thousands and thousands of those envelopes.”

Mr. Blye, who became a producer during the show’s third and final season, encouraged the comedian David Steinberg, a friend from Winnipeg, Manitoba, where they both grew up, to deliver comic sermons. In his second one, he told the biblical story of Jonah, with humorous riffs.

The sermon was part of the April 13, 1969, episode, which never aired and led to the show’s cancellation. CBS had been insisting that Tom Smothers send it and its affiliates a tape of each week’s show in advance, in a timely fashion, for their review. When the tape of their final show did not arrive on time, CBS told the brothers that they had broken their contract. Tom Smothers later said that CBS used the sermon as an excuse to fire them.

Two months after the cancellation, Mr. Blye and the rest of the show’s writing staff — which included Mr. Einstein and Steve Martin — won an Emmy Award.

“Allan was measured, mature and fresh, and he wasn’t following a common road to success,” Dick Smothers said in an interview. “He wasn’t formula. When I talked to him, he made sense.”

In a post on the social media site Threads, Mr. Martin praised Mr. Blye as “my earliest mentor” and a “comic delight.”

Alvin Allan Blye was born on July 19, 1937, in Winnipeg. His father, David, a Romanian immigrant, worked in his wife’s family’s dry cleaning business; his mother, Goldie (Portnoy) Blye, who was from Russia, managed the home.

Alvin grew up in an Orthodox Jewish family in which Yiddish was his first language; he was a child soloist in his temple’s choir and sang on radio and in Yiddish theater. He became a cantor in his 20s and continued to be one at synagogues in Toronto and Los Angeles.

In the early 1960s, Mr. Blye performed on Canadian Broadcasting Corporation variety shows as well as on “MisteRogers,” the predecessor to Fred Rogers’s children’s show “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” He played Captain Blye, who went on assignments like “Go find me love” for the genial host. He stayed in the cast for a little while after the show’s production moved to Pittsburgh in 1966.

While still working for the Smothers Brothers, Mr. Blye formed a partnership with Chris Bearde. Together they wrote and developed the format for “Singer Presents … Elvis,” Elvis Presley’s acclaimed 1968 comeback special. Steve Binder, the show’s producer, said it was Mr. Blye’s idea to have dozens of men, who resembled Presley in shadow, stand behind him on risers and imitate him on his opening number, “Trouble/Guitar Man.”

With Mr. Bearde, Mr. Blye was also a writer and producer for “The Andy Williams Show” (1969-71), “The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour” (1971-74) and “The Sonny Comedy Revue” (1974), Sonny Bono’s short-lived solo venture after he and Cher divorced. He was executive producer of the sitcom “That’s My Mama” (1974-75), a sitcom revolving around a middle-class Black family in Washington.

Mr. Einstein’s Super Dave character first emerged in 1976 on the short-lived variety show “Van Dyke and Company,” which starred Dick Van Dyke and was produced and written by Mr. Blye and Mr. Einstein.

“We wrote it as a sketch, then started auditioning people for the part,” Mr. Blye told The New York Times in 1995. “On the second or third day, I turned to Bob and said, ‘I don’t know anyone who could do this better than you.’”

Super Dave was puffed up with misplaced confidence as he plunged himself into one death-defying stunt after another. Although modeled on the real-life daredevil Evel Knievel, Super Dave was more like the ill-fated Wile E. Coyote, who would snap back from being crushed by a boulder or falling off a cliff in the Road Runner cartoons.

“People loved the character getting mauled,” Mr. Blye told the Television Academy.

Super Dave showed up on several TV series and specials overseen by Mr. Blye and Mr. Einstein, including “Bizarre” (1979-86), a sketch comedy series on Showtime that was hosted by the comedian John Byner, and his own talk show, “Super Dave,” also on Showtime, from 1987 to 1991.

At the end of a failed stunt in the first episode of “Super Dave,” Mr. Einstein said, “My life just flashed before my eyes, and there wasn’t another episode in it.”Mr. Blye’s first marriage, to Shirley Brotman, ended in divorce. He married Rita Rogers (no relation to Fred Rogers) in 1989. In addition to her, he is survived by two sons, Jeff and Rob, and a daughter, Debra Blye, from his first marriage; a daughter, Kate Blye, and two other sons, Sam and Charlie, from his second marriage; three grandchildren; and his brother, Garry, a talent manager and producer.

Looking back in the Television Academy interview at his work for the CBC, Mr. Blye said that working with Mr. Rogers had “touched something close to my heart.” He recalled being introduced to him in about 1961 in an otherwise empty CBC studio in Toronto, where he was appearing on “Parade,” a variety show. When Mr. Blye approached him, he said, Mr. Rogers’s hands were occupied by two of his puppets, Henrietta Pussycat and King Friday XIII.

“I never talked to him, I talked to both of his puppets, and the puppets had their dialects and it was great,” Mr. Blye said. “I talked to them for about 15 minutes and someone came to me and said, ‘Blye, they’re ready for you to rehearse.’”

Mr. Rogers waited for him after the rehearsal.

“He said, ‘I’m doing a show here myself. How would you like to appear on a portion of it called “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood of Make-Believe”?’ ‘Sounds great. I’d love that.’ So he booked me and I did 300 shows for him.”

College Park Elementary School teacher Buzz Amble was so beloved that 12 years after his 2001 retirement — and an “Aloha party” attended by hundreds of staff and students from across decades — friends hosted another get-together in his honor.

They simply wanted to see how he was doing and reminisce once more about their shared time together, so in 2013 they organized a huge surprise party at the Costa Mesa campus where he’d taught fifth grade for the better part of 30 years.

“He was the most popular teacher ever. He was just there for everybody,” recalled longtime friend and former College Park librarian Gay Royer. “All children were special to him. I can’t tell you how many kids became teachers because of him.”

Amble, who lived in Costa Mesa with his wife, Bird, a retired kindergarten teacher, died Sept. 7 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 80 years old.

Speaking with the Pilot, students recalled Amble as an unforgettable influence, gifted at reaching students on a level that made them feel heard, seen and respected, no matter where they came from or whatever their struggles.

“He was able to find a piece of me that I didn’t know I had and bring it to light,” said Bryan Rice, 43, who teaches economics and math at Tustin High School. “It helped me find myself at a very young age. I always thought Mr. Amble was special to me, because I was special to him.”

“He inspired me to believe in myself in a way no adult was able to do before him,” said Roberto Jara, a fifth-grader in 1973-74 whom Amble jokingly called Roburpo. “From him I inherited a love for learning, reading, history, rock music, caring for the environment and how to enjoy life. He was certainly a light unlike any other person I have ever known.”

Born on May 30, 1944, in Grand Rapids, Minn. to dairy farmers from Wisconsin, George David Amble grew up in idyllic surroundings, scouting around the headwaters of the Mississippi River and fishing after school like a modern day Huckleberry Finn, according to an obituary compiled by Royer’s daughter, Love Hertel.

Amble was bestowed with the nickname “Buzz” by his older sister who, unable to call him baby brother, would say “baby buzzer,” said Bird Amble, his wife of 46 years.

More interested in sports and extracurricular activities as a student than in the academic standards, Amble sought a teaching credential through Minnesota’s Bemidji State University, where he discovered his calling.

“I found out I loved it,” he told the Daily Pilot in 2001. “I loved children. And I just came out [to California from Minnesota] for a year in 1964.”

He and a friend wanted to see the Pacific Ocean but ended up in the town of Wasco, northwest of Bakersfield, where Amble taught the children of migrant farm workers.

“Kids and parents came to his apartment to learn spelling,” Bird Amble recalled. “When it came time for the district spelling bee, the kids were there, all dressed up. And they beat everybody in the whole district, including the GATE kids.

“And Buzz always remembered the winning word by the winning child,” she continued. “He made school fun, and the kids never forgot it.”

Kirk Baumeister, 64, remembered being a student in the class next door to Amble’s in the early 1970s and quickly befriending the teacher, who coached the basketball team and tagged him as captain.

“I tell people I was kind of a jerk in elementary school, but he saw leadership qualities in me,” recalled Bauermeister, who retired from Newport-Mesa Unified School District after 26 years as a teacher and administrator. “Having somebody outside of your family see those qualities in you means a lot.”

Bauermeister now teaches an introduction to education class at Vanguard University, where he asks prospective teachers to envision the qualities of their favorite teachers.

“For me, that teacher was Buzz Amble,” he said Tuesday. “He and Birdie didn’t have their own kids — that’s what all their students were [for them].”

Quick with a joke and known for displaying maps all over the walls and tending to a zoo of classroom pets, Amble famously read “Where the Red Fern Grows” with students every year, gifting copies as classroom prizes to top students.

Rice said Mr. Amble is a big part of why he’s a teacher today.

“The humility I try to have with my kids, the shrugging off a bad day, ‘we’ll get it tomorrow’ mentality — I want to be that type of teacher,” he said. “Because in the world we’re living in, we need more Mr. Ambles.”

The retired teacher was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2013 and stayed physically fit as long as he could, said Bird, who was his caregiver and “loved every minute of it.”

“It meant the world to me to honor him that way because he was my person,” she said. “We were like best friends forever. We just had the best time everywhere.”

Henry John Larsen, beloved father, husband, brother, uncle, and friend, died on July 24th at the age of 80 after 13 years of battling Parkinson’s Disease like a lion. He met the challenges with equanimity and inspired us with his persistent fight while keeping a peaceful frame of mind.

Henry was born in 1944 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Henry John Larsen Sr. and Virginia Mae Siegel Larsen, and joined his two-year-old sister Christine Larsen. Two years later, brother Eric Harold Larsen was born and they grew very close–Henry and Eric often finished each other’s sentences. However, when Henry was three, Virginia was hospitalized with cancer, and the children moved to Geneva, New York, to live on the Larsen Road Farms with their aunt and uncle. Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and grandmother lived down the road. At a young age, Henry learned to drive the tractor by standing on the pedals with both feet and carried a love for growing things into adulthood with beautiful vegetable gardens. Tragically, their mother did not survive and died at age 34 when Henry was 4.

At age seven, Henry’s father married Katharine Mellinger, and the children moved back to Pittsburgh where they spent the rest of their childhood. In 1958, their half-brother John Nicholas Larsen was born. Henry graduated from North Allegheny High School in 1962, after which he attended Princeton University, and graduated with a degree in Engineering in 1966. Henry then moved west and completed a masters degree in structural engineering from Stanford University in 1967. His first job was with Blume & Associates, whose innovator, Dr. John A. Blume, is considered the “father of earthquake engineering” and for whom Stanford’s Blume Earthquake Engineering Center is named. Henry’s work included research into underground structural response to nuclear explosions and sonic booms. A warm corporate culture spawned many Blume reunions over the decades that Henry truly enjoyed, the most recent of which was last year.

Henry learned to practice Transcendental Meditation (TM) in the 1970’s. This inspired Henry to enroll in teacher training in Europe and he enjoyed the Marin TM community for the rest of his life. Out of this, a business partnership grew called SCI Builders. For over a decade, Henry designed the engineering for spec residential development projects and the many other tasks small business owners take on.

Henry was a confirmed bachelor until he met Lee Victoria Fleming in 1982 and one year later married at age 39. They had two children, Michael Henry Larsen and Nadia Victoria Larsen.

Henry threw himself into fatherhood, including Little League coaching and Scout Troop activities.

Business was good until a water meter moratorium in Marin brought new construction to a grinding halt. In 1991, Henry launched Larsen Engineering. He thrived with the sole focus of his business to provide engineering calculations and design for residential construction projects. In 1994, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck near Northridge and displaced 22,000 people from their homes. The next day, Henry drove down to Northridge to help the overwhelmed building departments in the area inspect tagged buildings for occupant safety, a several day assistance effort coordinated by the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California. Henry’s passion for engineering, diligent site observation to confirm projects were built as designed, and Henry’s ability to adapt to changed conditions in the field kept Larsen Engineering lively until he reluctantly retired in 2019 due to challenges caused by Parkinson’s Disease.

After 41 years of marriage, Henry is survived by his wife, Lee Victoria Fleming Larsen, children Michael Henry Larsen (Amanda) and Nadia Victoria Larsen, siblings Christine Tora Larsen Carmichael (Richard), Mary Catherine Fleming (George) and Donald DeForest Fleming (Leilani), nephews Alex Stearly Carmichael, Andrew Henry Carmichael, Randi Levi Fleming and niece Hailey Christine Rios (Daniel).

William (Bill) Florian Lafontaine was a loving husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, and friend. Bill passed away peacefully on October 15th after a years-long battle with Parkinson's Disease.

Bill was born in McHenry, IL, on July 17, 1950, to Cletus and Evelyn (Michels) Lafontaine. Growing up in Johnsburg, Bill enjoyed playing with his six brothers and sisters, neighborhood families, and cousins. Despite being on crutches for long stretches, Bill loved playing baseball, sledding, and playing games in the open field behind their family's house. After graduating from McHenry Community High School in 1968, Bill attended Northern Illinois University. There, he studied business and met his partner for life, Vicki (Bruce).

After graduating from NIU, Bill and Vicki were married on April 7, 1973. They spent a year in Joliet, then moved back to Glen Ellyn. Bill had a successful career in telecommunications, working for Illinois Bell, AT&T, Arthur Young, and McDonald's. Looking for a career where he could more directly help people, Bill became a real estate agent for Baird & Warner where he helped dozens of families find new homes for themselves and loved ones. Outside his professional work, Bill was an active member of First Congregational Church of Glen Ellyn, serving as treasurer, usher, DuPage Pads volunteer, and youth work camp chaperone. Bill and Vicki could always be counted on to do anything they could to support the Church's mission.

As much as this work mattered to Bill, his most important role was as an enthusiastic coach, a cheering fan, and an avid supporter of his kids' creative and artistic endeavors. In semi-retirement, he found a new love of picking up his grandkids from school and supporting their many activities. From chilly Saturday mornings at Ackerman, to toasty evening play performances, Bill and Vicki could always be counted on to be there for their grandkids. There was truly no greater source of joy for either of them, than their family.

Over the past few years, Bill and Vicki struggled with a variety of health issues related to Parkinson's Disease. Vicki passed away in July of 2024 after dealing with complications related to corticobasal degeneration (a rare form of Parkinson's). While Bill's Parkinson's took its toll on him both physically and cognitively, his love for his family was indefatigable. As his faculties sometimes eluded him, his love of Vicki, their kids, and grandkids was a constant. Seeing his family and friends brought out the loving, thoughtful, kind, and concerned qualities that had always been the hallmarks of his personality.

Bill is survived by his children Ben (Aimee) Lafontaine, Jami (Bryan) Dougherty, and Steve (Liz) Lafontaine, six grandchildren: Will Lafontaine (18), Jack Lafontaine (13), Colin Dougherty (14), Cormac Dougherty (10), Alden Lafontaine (7), and Maeve Lafontaine (3). He is also survived by his brothers and sisters Jim (Karen) Lafontaine, Susie Lafontaine, Joe (Theresa) Lafontaine, Joanie (Kurt) Jensen, Mike (Pam) Lafontaine, Cindy (Sonny) Fuqua, and many cousins, nieces, nephews, in-laws, and adoring friends.

Edward G. Polansky died Thursday, October 24, 2024, beloved husband of Janet (Isenman) Polansky for 63 devoted years, predeceased by his parents Beatrice (Radnofsky) and Hyman Polansky.

Edward died peacefully in his sleep after a life well-lived with Parkinson's Disease. He was an example and inspiration to so many.

Born in 1938, Ed grew up in Winthrop, Massachusetts where, early on, he nurtured a gift for music, which combined with his extraordinary love of people endeared him to everyone he met. Eddie's personality elicited smiles and laughter from hundreds of friends, relatives, and clients. Of his many gifts, connecting with people was what brought him and those around him the most joy.

Edward graduated from Salem State College and earned a Masters Degree in Education from Boston University. He and Janet endowed a scholarship at Salem State College in their name.

Ed taught briefly, and then became a financial advisor. He worked at Paine Webber, and at A.G. Edwards, where he spent the last 25 years of his successful and satisfying 40 year career.

Ed and his family moved to Wayland in 1969, living there for 20 years before moving to Concord, Massachusetts and eventually Chestnut Hill.

Ed was a founding member of Temple Shir Tikva in Wayland, and sang in their choir for 40 years. He possessed a taste for adventure, and delighted in his passions for music, sailing, flying, motorcycles, and cars.

Ed is survived by his wife Janet, his daughter Deborah Polansky, son-in law Dr. Eric Putnoi, beloved granddaughters Talia and Joia Putnoi, brother David Polansky and sisters-in-law Elaine Polansky and Phyllis Buchsbaum, as well as many adoring nieces and nephews.

The Polansky family and their relatives and friends are so grateful for Eddie, a star whose light will continue to brighten the lives of those who knew and loved him.