RIP Mr. Wizard

We all feel extremely lucky to have had him in our lives and to have known and worked with Don over the years. We have also been tremendously honored to carry on his legacy as an original and truly legendary figure in the worlds of both Television and Science Education. He has been inspirational and influential in so many ways and on so many lives and we are comforted in the fact that his ground breaking work and legacy will continue to inspire many more people for years to come.

Mr. Wizard showed me -- and, I assume, a whole generation of budding young scientists -- that to be a scientist was to ask questions about how things work in the world around you, and then to use your creativity to come up with a way to figure out the answer. The experiments and demonstrations he showed us didn't involve expensive equipment or white lab coats; his laboratory was his house, his lab assistant one of a string of child helpers, and his equipment the kinds of things you could find at a grocery or hardware store. He made science accessible -- an everyday activity that could be performed by everyday people with everyday things.