Radio and TV personality Art Linkletter, a fixture of early television died today, Wednesday, at his home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles. He was 97. He is being remembered as the popular host of two running shows, in the 1950 and 1960s, “People Are Funny” and the afternoon daily show “House Party.”

I saw him in person. He was giving a talk to young people at a university. This was years ago, when I was a young person. I asked him a question. I can't remember the question. In those days I thought it was smart to ask questions of famous people. Of course, he looked me straight in the eye and answered my question like it was the most important question he had ever been asked. The room was filled with people and he was looking directly at me with a warm and friendly face. Others glanced my way too, to see the person who had asked Mr. Linkletter such a question, that he answered with such due attention to the question and to the questioner. He was a professional after all and he knew his craft. And he answered every question this way. At the time, I had seen him on TV my entire life, and as he was answering my question, I was thinking that I couldn't wait to write home to tell my mom.

Art Linkletter, RIP.