"Cartoon Carnival" host Dick Addis dead at 74

Television legend Dick Addis, a veteran weather forecaster in "Michiana" and the host of an afternoon children's program called Cartoon Carnival, died Sunday at 74.

For over three decades, Addis was the main weather forecaster at WNDU-TV 16 in South Bend, Indiana. He joined the staff of WNDU in 1965.

"Dick's a character. People talk about pioneers in TV, and Dick really was a pioneer in television," said Lou Pierce, a former promotions director at WNDU, who worked with Addis for nearly 25 years at the station.

"He started out doing more than just weather at WNDU. He did children's shows and movie clubs, and he loved doing it," Pierce said.

"He was the kind of guy TV stations needed in the beginning. (He was a) very inventive person, who dedicated their lives basically to this new medium.

"Dick had a knack for saying funny things and they were off the cuff. You never knew what would come out of his mouth sometimes," Pierce remembered.

"It is not an exaggeration to say that he was one of the most popular and beloved figures in the history of Michiana television," WNDU said in a statement.

Addis is remembered for his love of weather of all kinds, and for his knack in coining words to describe various weather conditions.

He started his broadcasting career in radio in 1950. In 1952, Dick started his TV career in Wisconsin. He joined WNDU one week after the famed Palm Sunday tornadoes struck on April 11, 1965, and reported on some of the worst weather thrown Michiana's way.

Not a professional meteorologist, Addis cared little about new technology.

"He was ahead of his time. Don't let those crayons fool you. He was ahead of his time and a total professional," recalled Mike Collins, a former anchor with Addis.

"I still think his most effective presentation was with a grease pencil and a map that he wrote on during the weather. He loved weather," former WNDU news director Harry Kevorkian said.

Addis left WNDU in 2001 after 36 years at the station and started his retirement.

"Dick comes from an era when TV was a lot more personal. Dick was not just someone on TV for people who lived in northern Indiana and southwest Michigan. He was part of their family," Pierce said.

Addis was a huge music fan, recalled Pierce. He owned thousands of all kinds of records -- including current hits, swing and country music -- and listened to it all.

Added Pierce: "I have to say he was the hardest-working person I have ever seen in my life. No one had to call in Dick Addis when it was time to come to work or when the weather was bad. He was there before anybody else, and he was there after anybody else."

A page of remembrances of Dick Addis is at www.wndu.com/news/032006/news_48687.php.