Buckskin Bill Black

William P. "Buckskin Bill" Black (September 8, 1929 – January 10, 2018) was a Louisiana children's television personality and, later, school board member. 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. 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. After his successful television career, he was elected to the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board in 1994 and served for 16 years.

Early life Black was born in Haileyville, Oklahoma, to Harvey and Amelia Black, and grew up in Hugo. He attended college at Oklahoma A&M before earning a degree in speech with a minor in history from Arkansas College.

Television career After his two years in the Army, Black began working in television as a camera man and floor manager, as well as in sales and as a writer. The afternoon program The Buckskin Bill Show launched on August 15, 1955, and was followed soon thereafter by the early morning program Storyland. The afternoon program continued until around 1980 and Storyland aired until September 1988. At that time, with the station under new management, the weekly show was changed to the hour-long Buckskin Bill and Friends, which aired on Saturday mornings until it was cancelled in 1990.

While educational activities were part of the programming, Black aimed to ensure the shows were entertaining too. He also conducted drives to raise funds and medicine for Catholic missionaries in Brazil.

Beyond his television work, Black taught classes at the Louisiana State University for six years, starting in the Department of Speech and then continuing after the department merged into the school's journalism school in 1981. In 1990, he was honored with the 1990 "Friend of Education" award by the Louisiana Association of Educators. The year prior, Black was awarded the Public Relations Association of Louisiana's "Communicator of the Year Award".

School board In October 1994, Black ran successfully for the District 12 seat on the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board, representing the Broodmoor area. Black was recruited to run for the seat by Community Action for Public Education, a slate organized by Baton Rouge business leaders with the goal of reforming the parish's schools.

At the time, Black had been contemplating relaunching Storytime on cable television, but he was also substitute teaching in East Baton Rouge Parish schools where his granddaughter was a first grader. After Black joined the CAPE slate, the District 12 incumbent dropped out of the race. Black's remaining opponent described running against the long-time local children's television host to running against Santa Claus. Running as a Democrat, Black earned 82% of the vote.

Black was reelected three times, serving until 2010.

Personal life In April 1952, Black married his college sweetheart, Elma Kever (d. 2017). The couple had two daughters and a son.