It’s been 25 years since I first had the pleasure of hearing and personally meeting Jimmy Weldon and his sidekick, Webster Webfoot.
Weldon was an honorary member of Kiwanis International, who often gave inspirational talks to many clubs here on the West Coast. And some of those talks for Kiwanis were given in front of very large convention audiences.
He was loved by all who had the pleasure of hearing his presentations. Weldon left his earthly home in Paso Robles for his heavenly home on July 6.
Weldon was born in Texas and grew up in Oklahoma. He honorably served in Europe during World War II. Early in his radio career, he perfected the voice of Webster Webfoot, who later became this ventriloquist’s star of the very popular The Webster Webfoot Show, which had a great run in Dallas.
That notoriety launched Weldon’s long career in Hollywood, where he later became the voice of Yakky Doodle on Hanna-Barbera’s nationally syndicated The Yogi Bear Show.
Weldon’s autobiography, Go Get ‘Em, Tiger, has inspired many over the years — including this fellow, who wishes he could have known the author a bit better.
Dennis Daily, who had the pleasure of producing weekly inspirational YouTube videos for nearly three years cameoing Weldon presenting American patriots of an earlier era, recently chatted with me by phone.
As a past recipient to Weldon’s weekly podcast e-mails, I received word of his graduation to Heaven from Daily earlier last month. That short conversation demonstrated just how impactful Weldon had been in one other man’s later life.
In reflecting on the impact Weldon had on my life, I immediately thought of my long-time friend, Jay Carty, and what I believe was his greatest literary contribution in his plethora of books available on Amazon.
I’m referring to Coach Wooden: One-on-One, which many have used as a short devotional to glean words of biblical wisdom from Coach and Carty. I’m simply one of the many recipients of that excellent devotional.
There are some interesting similarities worth mentioning in the lives of these two giants in their professions. Unfortunately, both men lost their wives way too soon and yet continued to persevere through life.
And, both Weldon and Coach completed 99 fruitful years here on earth!
Here’s a real treat: a video file of Jimmy Weldon narrating Aaron Copeland’s orchestral work, A Lincoln Portrait, which will give you a much greater appreciation of our dear departed friend.
Both Weldon and Coach were godly examples of how to live life fully. They were both greatly respected by those who knew them and they were Men of Integrity worthy of our respect.
They were both influential in ways I suspect they never imagined. Through the centuries, God has placed men and women in the lives of many as a Light shining in the darkness of this world in which we live.
May He continue to build up many like these two to lead us through the darkness that lays ahead!