David Cunningham Garroway (July 13, 1913 – July 21, 1982, suicide) was the founding host of NBC's Today from 1952 to 1961, whose easygoing, relaxed and relaxing style belied a battle with depression that may have contributed to the end of his days as a television bigtimer and, in due course, his life. Image File history File linksMetadata Garroway. ... July 13 is the 194th day of the year (195th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... July 21 is the 202nd day of the year (203rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... -1... Today, sometimes referred to as The Today Show to avoid ambiguity, is an American morning news and talk show airing weekday mornings on the NBC television network. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... Grieving Thai females. ...

Born in Schenectady, New York, Garroway began his broadcasting career modestly, starting as an NBC page and then graduating NBC's school for announcers 23rd in a class of 24. Even so, he landed a job at influential Pittsburgh radio station KDKA. He roamed the region, filing a number of memorable reports from a hot-air balloon, from a U.S. Navy submarine in the Ohio River, and from deep inside a coal mine. Those early reports earned Garroway a reputation for finding a good story, even if it took him to unusual places. Schenectady is a city located in Schenectady County, New York, of which it is the county seat. ... NY redirects here. ... An NBC page is a young person in their early twenties working as a uniformed tour guide and studio audience usher at NBC Radio City Studios in New York City or NBC Universal studios in Burbank, California. ... Nickname: Motto: Benigno Numine (With the Benevolent Deity) Location in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States Commonwealth Pennsylvania County Allegheny Founded November 25, 1758 Incorporated April 22, 1794 (borough)   March 18, 1816 (city) Government  - Mayor Luke Ravenstahl (D) Area  - City 151. ... KDKA is the callsign of two broadcast stations in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA: KDKA AM 1020, the first commercial station in the U.S. KDKA-TV, channel 2 (DTV 25) KDKA-FM 92. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ...

Radio

When the United States entered World War II in 1941, Garroway enlisted in the Navy, but one trip out to Honolulu convinced the young man that perhaps he was a little better suited for radio instead. The Navy agreed to let him run a yeoman's school instead, and off-hours he hosted a radio show where he played jazz records and reminisced about the old days back in Chicago. After the war, he returned to the Windy City as a disk jockey at WMAQ (AM). On the air, he retained the persona he crafted in Honolulu, to great success in a series of radio programs -- The 11:60 Club, The Dave Garroway Show and Reserved for Garroway. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with WSCR. (Discuss) This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

Television

Garroway was introduced to the national television audience when he hosted the experimental musical variety show, Garroway at Large, telecast live from Chicago. It was carried by NBC from June 18, 1949 to June 24, 1951. June 18 is the 169th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (170th in leap years), with 196 days remaining. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... June 24 is the 175th day of the year (176th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 190 days remaining. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ...

His shows reflected his relaxed, informal style. In 1960 New York Times reviewer Richard F. Shepard wrote: "He does not crash into the home with the false jollity and thunderous witticisms of a backslapper. He is pleasant, serious, scholarly looking and not obtrusively convivial." He was known for his signoff: saying "Peace" with an upraised palm.

Along with Arthur Godfrey, Arlene Francis and Jack Paar, Garroway was one of the pioneers of television talk. Television commentator Steven D. Stark traces the origins of the style to Chicago; Garroway, Studs Terkel, and Hugh Downs, all hosted relaxed, garrulous, extemporaneous shows in that city in the early 1950s. Earlier radio and television voices spoke with an authoritative "announcer's" intonation, resembling public oration, often dropping about a musical fifth on the last word of a sentence. Garroway was one of the broadcasters who introduced conversational style and tone to television, beginning some broadcasts as though the viewer were sitting in the studio with him, as in this November 20, 1957, introduction for the Today show: "And how are you about the world today? Let's see what kind of shape it's in; there is a glimmer of hope." Arthur Morton Godfrey (August 31, 1903 – March 16, 1983) was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer. ... Arlene Francis Arlene Francis was born Arlene Francis Kazanjian on October 20, 1907 in Boston, Massachusetts, of Armenian descent. ... Jack Parr redirects here. ... Photo of Studs Terkel by Robert Birnbaum Louis Studs Terkel (born May 16, 1912) is an American author, historian and broadcaster. ... Hugh Malcolm Downs, (born February 14, 1921) is a retired American broadcaster, television host, producer, and author. ... November 20 is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Dave Garroway opening the first edition of Today

Legendary, pioneering NBC President Sylvester "Pat" Weaver picked Garroway to host his new morning news-and-entertainment experiment, the Today show, in 1951. Garroway soon was joined by news editor Jim Fleming and announcer Jack Lescoulie as television's first loose "family" of the airwaves when the show debuted on Monday, January 14, 1952. Though initially panned by critics, Garroway's style attracted a large audience that enjoyed his easygoing presence early in the morning. His familiar "co-host," a chimpanzee with the puckish name of J. Fred Muggs, didn't hurt his genial manner, but his concurrent seriousness in dealing with news stories and ability to clearly explain abstract concepts earned him the nickname "The Communicator," and eventually won praise from critics and viewers alike. At the same time he did Today, Garroway also hosted a Friday night variety series, The Dave Garroway Show, from October 2, 1953 to June 25, 1954, and on October 16, 1955, he began hosting NBC's Sunday afternoon documentary Wide Wide World, continuing with that series until June 8, 1958. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... NBC (a former acronym for National Broadcasting Company) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... Sylvester Pat Weaver (December 21, 1908 – March 17, 2002) was a former radio advertising executive who was president of NBC between 1953 and 1955. ... Jack Lescoulie (b. ... January 14 is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... J. Fred Muggs (b. ... October 2 is the 275th day of the year (276th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... June 25 is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 189 days remaining. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 16 is the 289th day of the year (290th in leap years). ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Cover of booklet created by NBC to promote Wide Wide World Wide Wide World was a 90-minute Sunday afternoon documentary series telecast live on NBC from October 16, 1955 to June 8, 1958. ... June 8 is the 159th day of the year (160th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Garroway had a vast curiosity that led Today wherever his ideas took it. To Paris in 1959 and Rome in 1960; to car shows and technology expos; to plays and movies; and even on board an Air Force B-52 for a practice bombing run--in short, everywhere in the world then accessible to television. When the show couldn't go outside to the world, the world was brought into the studio, evidenced by the parade of politicians, writers, artists, scientists, economists, musicians and many more who visited Garroway and company in the RCA Exhibition Hall, Todays then-home on West 49th Street in Manhattan.

But Garroway's easygoing camera presence masked a man fighting inner demons from several angles. He reportedly developed an addiction to a concoction from his Chicago days, called "The Doctor," composed of vitamin B-12 and codeine; it was said to have begun affecting his mental acuity and his temper. Disagreements with staff members became more frequent, and some days Garroway would disappear in the middle of the show, leaving Lescoulie to finish the live program. Cobalamin or vitamin B12 is a chemical compound that is also known as cyanocobalamine. ... Codeine (INN) or methylmorphine is an opiate used for its analgesic, antitussive and antidiarrheal properties. ...

Far worse, however, was the April 1961 suicide of his wife, Pamela, plunging Garroway further into depression and mental instability. Eventually, these troubles affected his on-camera performance. A few weeks later, Garroway lay down in the Today show studio, refusing to rise until NBC gave in to his contract demands. The network called his bluff and, on June 16, 1961, fired television's "Communicator" from the morning genre he helped pioneer. June 16 is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ...

From there, Garroway appeared sporadically on other television programs without achieving anywhere near the success and recognition levels he enjoyed on Today. The most viewers saw of him the rest of the 1960s and 1970s was whenever he re-emerged for Today anniversaries. His final such appearance was the 30th anniversary show, January 14, 1982. January 14 is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... -1...

Garroway was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his Swarthmore, Pennsylvania home July 21, 1982. Swarthmore is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. ... Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ... July 21 is the 202nd day of the year (203rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... -1...

Dave Garroway was very interested in astronomy. While on a tour of Russian telescopes he met his second wife, the astronomer Sarah Lee Lippincott. During his final years, he attended astronomy symposia at Swarthmore College and spent time at Sproul Observatory. Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,450 students. ... Sproul Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Swarthmore College. ...

Dave Garroway had one son, David Jr. and a daughter, Paris. When he married Pamela, he also adopted her son, Michael, whom he raised as his own, even after her death. Because of Garroway's dedication to the cause of mental health, his second wife Sarah helped establish the Dave Garroway Laboratory for the Study of Depression at the University of Pennsylvania. He was also honored for his contribution to television with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as well as the St. Louis Walk of Fame. This article is about the private Ivy League university in Philadelphia. ... A band plays on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. ... The St. ...

Today, commonly referred to as The Today Show to avoid ambiguity, is an American morning news and talk show airing weekday mornings on the NBC television network. ... Chancellor (left), with David Brinkley, in a 1976 ad for the NBC Radio network. ...

Listen to

• Boxcars711: Dave Garroway narrates Names from the Wars (1960)

External links

• Today show homepage
• A Garroway retrospective
• 'Garroway at Large' from the Museum of Broadcast Communications
• TVParty.com tribute to 'Today' in the 1950s - includes video clips and photos from the Garroway era
• Dave Garroway Laboratory for the Study of Depression
• St. Louis Walk of Fame Entry
• Dave Garroway Memorial at Find A Grave