LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville has lost a local television personality best remembered for his years on WDRB, his distinctive voice and his vast knowledge of TV history.
Ray Foushee died on Thursday from complications of cancer. He was 72.
He joined our station in 1980 after making a name for himself at the Courier-Journal writing for the Saturday Scene section. Ray was an amazing TV historian who could remember the smallest detail or name actors that played obscure roles. His weekend column in the 1970s, called The TV Set, allowed him to answer just about any viewer question about one of his favorite topics.
Ray Foushee had a column in the Courier Journal's weekend Scene section in the 1970s about television. Image courtesy of the Foushee family.Â
Once Ray arrived at WDRB, he embraced his job as a promotions manager. He became the station's first and most widely seen on-air personality. He hosted telethons, did in-studio movie intros and hosted a wildly popular show called "TV As It Used to Be." It was a special show that allowed Ray to reach back into the vaults and revisit popular shows from the 50s, 60s and 70s. It was his dream come true.
Ray also introduced each night's slate of programming and even giving background on shows. It amazed the audience with his wealth of knowledge.
It was Ray's voice many would recognize. He did a lot of voicework for commercials on WDRB and even station announcements.
In 2001, Ray was appointed Director of Marketing, Research & Publicity. In that position, he helped promote the station, and he helped former general manager Bill Lamb write Point of View editorials. He retired from that position in 2018, after 38 years at WDRB.
Ray Foushee, the original on air personality at WDRB. Image courtesy of the American Printing House for the Blind.Â
Ray was here when WDRB was Fox 41, Louisville's first independent television station that featured Shirley Temple movies, outdoor shows, westerns, sitcom reruns, a local children's show featuring Presto the Magic Clown and the popular "Fright Night" hosted by the fearmonger, Charlie Kissinger.
After we learned of his passing, Ray's beloved daughter shared childhood memories of hanging with her dad at the station after school.
"Everyone was so great to me when I would come in, so that place holds a special place in my heart, too. I was just telling my mom that as new people would come into the station, they weren’t new to him very long. He was just that type of person," said Maggie Foushee Kaufman.
Ray joked on his social media pages that he was a "TV star," and he was -- at least in Louisville. He was so gracious and kind to viewers that would recognize him in public. He answered endless questions about TV from viewers that thought they could stump him.
Ray Foushee with former University of Louisville coach Howard Schnellenberger. Image courtesy of the Foushee family.Â
During the era that WDRB aired University of Louisville sports, Ray became friends with Howard Schnellenberger. Always an entertainer, he could even do a great impression of the coach.
"I don’t know if he ever did his Howard Schnellenberger impression for you, but it was absolutely spot on! He spent a lot of time with Howard during his old AdCraft days! He had him down to a T. Everyone would smile and laugh when he would do it," Maggie remembered.
Looking back on her relationship with her dad, Maggie said she learned a lot from the way he interacted with people. "It was more just the lesson that he taught throughout his and my life on how to be a genuinely good human. He was very impactful for me in that area, among other areas of course."
Even after Ray retired and cleaned out the office filled with nearly four decades of memorabilia and promotional items, he still kept in touch with emails offering suggestions or gentle reminders about what he thought the station should be doing. He never stopped caring about WDRB.
Over the years, Ray also put his distinctive voice to work at the American Printing House for the Blind as a talking book narrator.
Ray was a Louisville native who went to Saint Xavier High School, Bellarmine University and the University of Kentucky.
He is survived by Jane, his wife of 44 years, his daughter Maggie Foushee Kaufman, her husband Chris and his two grandchildren.
No funeral is planned, but a celebration of life will be planned for a later date.
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