Buckskin Bill Black

Buckskin Bill Black
Member of the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board (District 12)
In office
1994–2010
Preceded byRobert Crawford
Succeeded bySeat eliminated
Personal details
Born
William Philippi Black

1929
Haileyville, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died(2018-01-10)January 10, 2018 (aged 88)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
OccupationChildren's television host
Years active1955–1990
Known forStorytime
TelevisionWAFB
Spouse
Elma Kever
​
​
(m. 1952; died 2017)​
Children3

William P. "Buckskin Bill" Black (1929 – January 10, 2018) was a Louisiana children's television personality and, later, school board member.[1][2] He hosted what at the time were the longest-running children's television programs in the United States, Storyland and The Buckskin Bill Show, on Baton Rouge's WAFB-TV.[1][3] Black famously helped raise funds to get the Baton Rouge Zoo built after promoting the cause on his show in the late 1950s and through the 1960s.[4] After his successful television career, he was elected to the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board in 1994 and served for 16 years.[5]

  1. ^ a b Lussier, Charles (January 11, 2018). "Baton Rouge TV star, community leader 'Buckskin Bill' Black dies". The Advocate. Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  2. ^ "William P. Black Obituary". Pointe Coupee Reporter. New Roads, Louisiana. January 15, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  3. ^ Chawla, Kiran (January 12, 2018). "VIDEO: Remembering Buckskin Bill". WAFB-TV. Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  4. ^ "History". Baton Rouge Zoo. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  5. ^ "Beyond 'Storyland': Reflections on 'Buckskin' Bill's time on the EBR School Board". WAFB-TV. Baton Rouge, Louisiana. January 12, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2021.