There is a child in me, a little five year old girl, who saw her first television show at Aunt Myrtle's and Uncle Gordon's house in Rochester, New York in 1950 and saw Howdy Doody! I loved it! I fell in love with Howdy! I started looking at little red-headed boys with freckels differently after that! They all became potential boyfriends!My parents and brother and two sisters and I were on vacation, and we were to leave Rochester the next day, but I would not let them. I yelled and screamed, crying tears. I would not budge from the floor in front of the tv; I wanted to see Howdy! The next afternoon I was in front of the tv all day until he came on. This went on for 3 more days. Finally, it was time for the family to travel back home to Little Rock, Arkansas.
They pulled me away from the tv, from the house, from Howdy. It was an insane moment in my life. I sit here with tears running down my cheeks. My buddy Howdy is dead!
I never liked ClaraBell or Buffalo Bill that much, but I adored Howdy. He was a kid. He was spunky and funny, and I liked his red and white checkered shirt and his scarf. He was not a puppet to me. He had a life. He was real. He really was a Kid!
When I first heard the news of Howdy's Death on CNN, I had walked in the door from leaving the Compaque Center where we had just done photos with WNBA star, Utah's Tammi Reiss and Roopster Roux! Somehow the Roux seemed comforting to me. If only he could touch a child the way that Howdy had touched my life. I read what Howdy said to read. I ate what Howdy said to eat. I did what was right, followed rules, learned to read and write, because Howdy said to. He was the first hero, star, love of my life.
Goodby Howdy, my little buddy! Your spirit of puppetry, theatre, creativity, love of children's books and drama will always be with me! It is me! I dedicate myself to taking this love to other children through children's books and character's and videos and audio tapes. It suddenly is not all about marketing and meeting a budget. It is about the CHILD!
As an adult, I say Thank you To Buffalo Bob, Howdy's voice, who died today.
Dear Reader, I need your help. Last night about 9:30 p.m. my 8 year old niece was apparently abducted in Powell, WY. A web site has been put together to help find her. Would you please send the address to everyone on your email list? Ask that they visit the site, and ask them to forward it to everyone on their e-mail list as well.
The address is: http://www.d-merkel.com/christen.htm.
the new site is http://www.wtp.net/clamb
Carolyn Lampman
LAST NIGHT 8yr.old Girl/CHILD ABDUCTED
Photos of Christin Lamb / Missing Child
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