James Walter Nolan Jr. (25 September 1918 – 6 March 2004), known as Uncle Jimmy, was a television personality in
Yakima, Washington
Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, and the state's 11th-largest city by population. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The uninco ...
. During his 28-year career, Nolan held the various roles as announcer, newsman, weatherman, program director and the role he is best known for, the eponymous host of children's birthday show ''Uncle Jimmy's Clubhouse''.
Early life
Known as "Bud" by his family, Nolan was born in
Moscow, Idaho
Moscow ( ) is a city in North Central Idaho, United States. Located along the state border with Washington, it had a population of 25,435 at the 2020 census. The county seat and largest city of Latah County, Moscow is the home of the Universit ...
, on 25 September 1918. His family moved later to
Cowiche, Washington where they operated two apple orchards. Nolan graduated in 1936 from Cowiche High School, where he was active in tennis, debate and served as student body president.
Career
Nolan attended
Washington State College in Pullman where he received a BA in Speech in 1940. His first broadcasting job was at
KUJ, an AM radio station in
Walla Walla, Washington in 1940, where he met his wife-to-be, Esther Rehberg.
Nolan served in the US Army from 1942 until 1946. In 1946 he went to work at
KIT
Kit may refer to:
Places
*Kitt, Indiana, US, formerly Kit
* Kit, Iran, a village in Mazandaran Province
* Kit Hill, Cornwall, England
People
* Kit (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Kit (surname)
Animals
* Young animals:
...
radio station in Yakima.
Uncle Jimmy's Clubhouse
In 1953, Nolan left
KIT
Kit may refer to:
Places
*Kitt, Indiana, US, formerly Kit
* Kit, Iran, a village in Mazandaran Province
* Kit Hill, Cornwall, England
People
* Kit (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Kit (surname)
Animals
* Young animals:
...
radio and joined local Yakima television station
KIMA
''Kima'' is a genus of spiders in the family Salticidae (jumping spiders).
Species
, the World Spider Catalog accepted the following species:
* '' Kima africana'' Peckham & Peckham, 1902 – South Africa
* '' Kima atra'' Wesołowska & Russell ...
as program director, and later the same year, on-air talent.
Nolan hosted the half-hour live ''Uncle Jimmy's Clubhouse'' show which was broadcast on weekday afternoons from July 20, 1953, the station's second day on the air, until the late 1970s. The show featured children whose birthdays occurred on or near the date of broadcast. During each show, Nolan would interview each birthday child, play short cartoon clips and promote sponsors' products.
Nolan would later claim that more than 20,000 children appeared on ''Uncle Jimmy's Clubhouse'' during its run.
Retirement
Shortly after retiring in 1981, Nolan moved to
Purdy Purdy may refer to:
People Surname
*Al Purdy (1918–2000), Canadian poet
*Amy Purdy (born 1979), American actress, model and Paralympic snowboarder
* Ashley Purdy, Black Veil Brides bassist
* Bill Purdy (born 1946), American rower
* Brock Purdy ( ...
near
Gig Harbor. Nolan returned to Yakima in the summer of 2003 to tape five reunion episodes of "Uncle Jimmy's Clubhouse."
Nolan lived in the Gig Harbor area until his death from pancreatic cancer
in 2004.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nolan, James Jr.
1918 births
2004 deaths
American television hosts
Washington State University alumni
People from Yakima, Washington