|
|
Bob Ross Bobblehead
- Robert Norman Ross was born in Daytona Beach Florida on October 29,
1942. Raised in Orlando, Florida, Ross spent several years in his
father’s carpentry shop after dropping out of school in the ninth grade.
In 1961, Ross joined the United States Air Force at the age of 18 as a
medical records technician, a post that he would keep for the next 20
years.
- On January 11, 1983, The Joy of Painting debuted its first episode on
public television, where Ross’s calm demeanor and soothing voice
encouraged viewers that they too could paint a world of “happy little
trees” and “happy little clouds” with just a stroke of the brush. The
Joy of Painting is now “The Best of the Joy of Painting” and continues
airing, uninterrupted since the beginning, on about 95% of all public
television stations.
- Late in 1994, Ross was unexpectedly diagnosed with late stage lymphoma.
He passed away at the age of 52, on July 4, 1995. Many of the paintings
created throughout his show were donated to charities or to public
television stations.
|
