[speechlesstx]

Russell Johnson, the Professor on ‘Gilligan’s Island,’ Dead at 89

And he was not just an actor on a silly old sitcom that I happened to watch after school with my mom as a kid over and over, he was a hero.

Born in rural northeastern Pennsylvania, Johnson graduated from a private boarding school for orphaned children before joining the Air Force, flying dozens of combat missions in World War II – including one that turned him into a real-life castaway in the Philippines in 1945. Johnson’s B-25 bomber was shot down by heavy flak; he broke both his ankles during the mission, and received the Purple Heart.

So long Professor.

[paraclete]

all these old guys are dropping off, they are lucky if they get past eighty. who is to follow them?

[tomder55]

The group was very lucky to have the professor on board He could create anything from coconut shells and branches . A bit of trivia ......Here is the list of degrees the professor had ......
A B.A. from USC; a B.S. from UCLA; an M.A. from SMU; and a Ph.D. from TCU.

[odinn7]

He was my favorite character on that show. The show wouldn't have been the same without him.

Aside from that, I had no idea that he had been through all that other stuff.

[Fr_Chuck]

I remember him from some of the old Western movies also. Loved him as professor also

[speechlesstx]

Also lost the guy that played Mr. Kincaid on the Partridge Family yesterday.

[talaniman]

And many old westerns when I was a kid. Heckuva actor.