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Hall of Fame 2000Don MeierVideo |
Don Meir created, directed and produced "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom," hosted by Marlin Perkins. It was an astonishingly successful and often lauded wildlife-adventure television series. "Growing up in Nebraska, I liked the outdoors, but this was beyond my wildest dreams," Don says.
Don ran the library and taught school in Oshkosh, Nebraka, and attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a course of study that included Business Administration, Speech and Broadcasting. With his NU Degree in 1941, Don enlisted in the Army, rising to the rank of Colonel.
A civlian again, he headed to Chicago working at a small experimental TV station doing virtually everything. With that training ground, he moved to NBC. He was Director of Dave Garroway's "Garroway-At-Large," "Zoo Parade", "Quiz Kids," and "Mr. Wizard".
His involvement with Perkins on Zoo Parade led to his decision to take camera beyond the zoo and to develop a pilot of "Wild Kingdom" which resulted in Mutual of Omaha's sponsorship and the program's remarkable run. Everyone in the audience felt involved with the program. This combined with taking them to a different place every Sunday plus the superior shooting, writing and editing made Wild Kingdom a television treasure.
Don has received many accolades including the first National Wildlife Federation Award and four Emmys, television's top award.
Don, who resides in Chicago, and his wife, Lorie, have endowed a number of scholarships at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Don Meier...the driving force behind one of the most successful programs in the history of television---"Wild Kingdom."