View source for Bob Keeshan

{{Short description|Children's television personality & host (1927–2004)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{Infobox person
| image              = Bob_Keeshan_1995.jpg
| caption            = Keeshan in 1995
| birth_name         = Robert James Keeshan
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1927|6|27|mf=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Lynbrook, New York]], U.S.
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|2004|1|23|1927|6|27|mf=y}}
| death_place        = [[Windsor, Vermont]], U.S.
| resting_place      = Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Cemetery, [[Babylon, New York]], U.S.
| alma_mater         = [[Fordham University]]
| occupation         = Television host, producer, actor
| years_active       = 1947–2004
| spouse             = {{marriage|Anne Laurie|1950|1996|reason=died}}
| children           = 3
}}

'''Robert James Keeshan''' (June 27, 1927 &ndash; January 23, 2004) was an American [[television producer]] and actor. He created and played the title role in the [[children's television]] program ''[[Captain Kangaroo]]'', which ran from 1955 to 1984, the longest-running nationally broadcast children's television program of its day.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bob Keeshan {{!}} American television producer and entertainer |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bob-Keeshan |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |date=August 4, 2023 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Keeshan, Robert James |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/keeshan-robert-james |website= Encyclopedia.com}}</ref> He also played the original [[Clarabell the Clown]] on the ''[[Howdy Doody]]'' television program.

==Early life==
Robert James Keeshan was born to Irish parents<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/23/obituaries/bob-keeshan-who-played-captain-kangaroo-on-tv-is-dead-at-76.html|title=Bob Keeshan, Who Played Captain Kangaroo on TV, Is Dead |date=January 23, 2004|work=The New York Times|quote= They were Irish on both sides of the family}}</ref> in [[Lynbrook, New York]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Flocker|first1=Michael|title=Vermont: The Green Mountain State|date=2002|publisher=Gareth Stevens|page=41|isbn=9780836851465|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jaLwEg-PytsC&pg=PA41|access-date=July 3, 2014}}</ref> After an early graduation in 1945 from [[Forest Hills High School (Queens)|Forest Hills High School]] in [[Queens]], [[New York (state)|New York]], during [[World War II]], he enlisted in the [[United States Marine Corps Reserve]], but was still in the United States when [[Surrender of Japan|Japan surrendered]]. He attended [[Fordham University]] on the [[GI Bill]]. He received his bachelor's degree in education in 1951.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fordham.edu/info/26211/hall_of_honor/9534/robert_keeshan|title=Robert Keeshan|first=Rahman|last=Fatama|website=www.fordham.edu}}</ref>

An [[urban legend]] claims that actor [[Lee Marvin]] said on ''[[The Tonight Show]]'' that he had fought alongside Keeshan at the [[Battle of Iwo Jima]] in 1945. Over time, this legend has been published verbatim.<ref name="auto">{{Cite magazine |last= Solomon |first=Michael|date=2013-06-24|title=Cereal Liars?: Cap'n Crunch and 9 Other Fake Military Titles|language=en-US |magazine= Time| url=https://newsfeed.time.com/2013/06/24/cereal-liars-capn-crunch-and-9-other-fake-military-titles/photo/portrait-of-bob-keeshan-as-captain-kangaroo-2/|access-date=2022-01-04|issn=0040-781X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title= Captain Kangaroo and Lee Marvin, War Heroes|publisher= Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1122|url= https://ccvva.org/great-stories/captain-kangaroo/|access-date= 2022-01-04|website= ccvva.org|archive-date= January 4, 2022|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220104092429/https://ccvva.org/great-stories/captain-kangaroo/|url-status= dead}}</ref> Other legends had compounded on it, such that Keeshan was a trained killer,<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-03-09|title=12 People You Didn't Know Were U.S. Marines|url=https://www.navalhistory.org/2018/03/08/12-people-you-didnt-know-were-u-s-marines|access-date=2022-01-04|website=Naval History Blog|language=en}}</ref> that he was awarded the Navy Cross,<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|title= Officials Disclaim Myth of Capt. Kangaroos as War Hero |url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2004-02-05-0402050108-story.html|access-date=2022-01-04|website=Sun Sentinel|date=February 5, 2004 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Did Captain Kangaroo and Lee Marvin Fight at Iwo Jima?|url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/captain-kangaroo-lee-marvin-iwo-jima/|access-date=2022-01-04|website=Snopes.com|date=March 8, 2002 |language=en-US}}</ref> that he was a tough sergeant who saved the lives of dozens of men and women in the war,<ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-12-14|title=Quiet Giants and Unsung Heroes|url=http://growingleaders.com/blog/quiet-giants-and-unsung-heroes/|access-date=2022-01-04|website=GrowingLeaders.com|publisher=|language=en-US|archive-date=January 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220104090930/https://growingleaders.com/blog/quiet-giants-and-unsung-heroes/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and that he destroyed a German tank in action in North Africa (an apparent confusion with a similarly named British soldier).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Robert Millar Keenan|url=https://wartimeni.com/person/robert-millar-keenan/|access-date=2022-01-04|website=WartimeNI.com|language=en-GB|archive-date=January 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220104092430/https://wartimeni.com/person/robert-millar-keenan/|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, Marvin never made the statement (he never served in Iwo Jima, but was wounded during the [[Battle of Saipan]]).<ref>{{cite book| last= Zec| first= Donald| title= Marvin: The Story of Lee Marvin| place= New York| publisher= St. Martin's Press| year= 1980 |isbn= 0-312-51780-7| page= 217}}</ref> Keeshan never saw combat in Europe or Japan, having enlisted too late to serve overseas.<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.snopes.com/military/marvin.asp|title=FALSE: Captain Kangaroo and Lee Marvin |author= |date=February 22, 2016| work= Snopes.com | access-date= }}</ref> The Naval Historical Center in Washington, D.C, still receives calls asking for verification of Keeshan's "heroic" war service.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Debunker: Was Captain Kangaroo a War Hero?|url=http://www.woot.com/blog/post/the-debunker-was-captain-kangaroo-a-war-hero|website=Woot.com|date=August 28, 2019|publisher=|access-date=2022-01-04|archive-date=December 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211217112626/https://www.woot.com/blog/post/the-debunker-was-captain-kangaroo-a-war-hero|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="auto1"/> Keeshan continuously dispelled the rumors.<ref name="auto1"/>

==Television career==
[[File:Bob keeshan captain kangaroo 1977.JPG|thumb|upright|Keeshan as Captain Kangaroo]]
Network television programs began shortly after the end of the war. ''Howdy Doody'', which premiered in 1947 on [[NBC]], was one of the first. Starting on January 3, 1948,<ref name="query.nytimes.com">{{cite news| url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D00E3D61E39F937A15752C0A9629C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print | work=The New York Times | first=Richard | last=Severo | access-date=April 26, 2010 | title=Bob Keeshan, Creator and Star of TV's 'Captain Kangaroo,' Is Dead at 76 | date=January 24, 2004}}</ref> Keeshan played Clarabell the Clown, a silent [[Clown#White clown and Auguste|Auguste clown]] who communicated by honking several horns attached to a belt around his waist. One honk meant "yes"; two meant "no". Clarabell often sprayed [[Buffalo Bob Smith]] with a [[seltzer bottle]] and played practical jokes. Keeshan had conflicts with Smith and in late 1952 left the show, or possibly was fired, after hiring an agent for himself and other workers on the show.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://famousclowns.org/famous-clowns/bob-keeshan-captain-kangaroo-the-original-clarabell-the-clown/|title=Bob Keeshan, Captain Kangaroo, the original Clarabell the Clown|date=January 28, 2012}}</ref>

By September 21, 1953, Keeshan came back to local TV on [[WABC-TV]], Channel 7 in New York City, in a new children's show, ''Time for Fun''. He played Corny the Clown, and this time he spoke.<ref name="Keeshan, Bob">{{Cite web|url=http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/K/htmlK/keeshanbob/keeshanbob.htm|title=The Museum of Broadcast Communications – Encyclopedia of Television|access-date=October 7, 2007|archive-date=October 31, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031042723/http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/K/htmlK/keeshanbob/keeshanbob.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Later that same year, in addition to ''Time for Fun'', he began ''Tinker's Workshop'', a program aimed at preschoolers, where he played the grandfather-like Tinker.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.tvparty.com/lostny2tinker.html| website= tvparty.com| title= Tinker's Workshop | publisher= | date= | access-date= December 13, 2022}}</ref>

Developing ideas from ''Tinker's Workshop'', Keeshan and his long-time friend Jack Miller submitted the concept of ''Captain Kangaroo'' to the [[CBS]] network, which was looking for innovative approaches to [[children's television]] programming. CBS approved the show, and Keeshan starred as the title character when it premiered on CBS on October 3, 1955.<ref name="Keeshan, Bob"/> He described his character as based on "the warm relationship between grandparents and children". The show was an immediate success, and he served as its host for nearly three decades.
[[File:Captain Kangaroo promotional postcard 1961.JPG|left|thumb|From left: Dancing Bear, [[Bunny Rabbit (character)|Bunny Rabbit]], [[Captain Kangaroo]], Grandfather Clock, [[Mr. Moose]], and [[Mr. Green Jeans]]]]
Recurring characters included his sidekick (and fan favorite) [[Mr. Green Jeans]] (played by [[Hugh Brannum|Hugh "Lumpy" Brannum]]), Dennis (played by Cosmo Allegretti), and puppets such as [[Bunny Rabbit (character)|Bunny Rabbit]] and [[Mr. Moose]].

''[[The New York Times]]'' commented: "Captain Kangaroo, a round-faced, pleasant, mustachioed man possessed of an unshakable calm ... was one of the most enduring characters television ever produced."<ref name="query.nytimes.com"/>

Keeshan also had a Saturday morning show called ''Mister Mayor'' during the 1964–65 season. Keeshan, in his role as the central characters in both ''Captain Kangaroo'' and ''Mister Mayor'', heavily promoted the products of the [[Schwinn]] Bicycle Co., a sponsor, directly on-air to his audience.<ref name= pedaling>{{cite journal| last= Petty| first= Ross D.| title= Pedaling Schwinn Bicycles: Lessons from the Leading Post-World War II U.S. Bicycle Brand |journal= Charm| pages= 162–177| place= Babson College, Massachusetts| year= 2007 | url= http://faculty.quinnipiac.edu/charm/CHARM%20proceedings/CHARM%20article%20archive%20pdf%20format/Volume%2013%202007/170-179_petty.pdf | archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20130514091409/http://faculty.quinnipiac.edu/charm/CHARM%20proceedings/CHARM%20article%20archive%20pdf%20format/Volume%2013%202007/170-179_petty.pdf |archivedate=May 14, 2013 | access-date= December 13, 2022}}</ref> By 1972, he had introduced another character on ''Captain Kangaroo'' to recommend Schwinn products: Mr. Schwinn Dealer,<ref name= pedaling />{{rp|167}} due to the [[Federal Trade Commission]] ruling against children's show hosts directly endorsing their sponsor's products during their programs after 1969.

Keeshan had a longtime close friendship with [[Fred Rogers]] of ''[[Mister Rogers' Neighborhood]]''. Each paid visits to the other's show in 1970, and they appeared together on the [[PBS]] special ''Springtime with Mister Rogers'' in 1980. The following year, Rogers appeared briefly in Keeshan's TV special ''Good Evening, Captain'' (following Keeshan's 1981 [[heart attack]]); Rogers and [[Dick Clark]] presented Keeshan with flowers at the end of the show.

Keeshan did voice recordings for a number of albums for [[Columbia Records]], Golden Records and [[RCA-Victor]]. Several were of children's songs performed with other characters from ''Captain Kangaroo'', but other albums included ''A Child's Introduction to Jazz'', narration for ''Peter and the Wolf'' conducted by [[Leopold Stokowski]], and ''Captain Kangaroo Introduces You to the Nutcracker Suite''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/1400457-Bob-Keeshan|title=Bob Keeshan|website=Discogs}}</ref>

==Heart attack and retirement==
Keeshan suffered a severe heart attack just moments after stepping off a plane at [[Toronto Pearson International Airport]] on July 11, 1981, which pushed the start of a revamped version of his show back to at least mid-August.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1298&dat=19810713&id=qPoSAAAAIBAJ&pg=4592,1792815| title='Captain Kangaroo' suffers heart attack, show delayed| newspaper=[[The Free Lance-Star]]| location=Fredericksburg, Virginia| date=July 13, 1981| agency=[[Associated Press]]| access-date=August 24, 2018}}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> He had come to the city to accept a children's service award.<ref name="krebs">{{cite web |last1=Bird |first1=David |last2=Krebs |first2=Albin |title=Notes On People; Captain Kangaroo Suffers a Heart Attack |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/13/nyregion/notes-on-people-captain-kangaroo-suffers-a-heart-attack.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=February 13, 2022 |date=July 13, 1981}}</ref>

Keeshan underwent triple-[[Coronary artery bypass surgery|bypass surgery]] and received an estimated 5,000 get-well wishes from fans during his hospitalization.<ref>{{cite news| date=August 3, 1987| title='Capt. Kangaroo' Goes Home| newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]| url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-08-03-mn-570-story.html| agency=[[United Press International]]| access-date=August 24, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| last=Sullivan| first=Patricia| date=January 24, 2004| title='Captain Kangaroo' Was Friend To Generations of Youngsters| newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]| url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2004/01/24/captain-kangaroo-was-friend-to-generations-of-youngsters/ca31b89f-1a84-4677-a2f5-e76a4f61d387/| access-date=September 4, 2016}}</ref>

Following the heart attack, Keeshan received three [[Emmy Award]]s for Outstanding Performer in 1982, 1983, and 1984.<ref>{{cite book| editor-last=Newcomb| editor-first=Horace| title=Encyclopedia of Television| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JUzIAgAAQBAJ&q=encyclopedia+of+television| date=February 3, 2014| edition=2nd| page=1242| publisher=[[Routledge]]| isbn= 978-1135194796}}</ref> Despite these accolades, Keeshan's show was shortened from its hour-long format to 30 minutes in 1981, to make room for the expansion of the ''[[CBS Morning News]]'' lineup. The program was retitled ''Wake Up with the Captain'', and moved to a new 7:00 am time slot. At the start of 1982, the show was rescheduled to an even earlier slot of 6:30 am. In the fall of 1982, CBS installed it as a weekend-only hour offering, and two years later, in the fall of 1984, the show became a Saturday half-hour entry.

Tired of CBS's constant reductions of his show, Keeshan left ''Captain Kangaroo'' when his contract with the network ended in December 1984, just nine months shy of the show's 30th anniversary. By 1987, repeats of the show were airing daily on many PBS stations.

Keeshan's show was given a farewell of sorts with ''Captain Kangaroo and Friends'', a primetime network TV special that aired in 1985.

==Later life==
[[File:WIKI BOB KEESHAN 2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Bob Keeshan speaking for [[United Way of America|United Way]] at [[Bok Tower Gardens]] in [[Lake Wales, Florida]], in April 1999]]

After ''Captain Kangaroo'' ended, Keeshan hosted 1985's ''[[CBS Storybreak]]'', which featured animated versions of children's literature.  He appeared in framing sequences for the animated stories, showcasing the book versions and suggesting similar books for the viewers to seek out.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shales |first1=Tom |title='Storybreak' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1985/03/30/storybreak/2b4d401b-a4cb-4e2b-9b11-b1e4ec80f8fe/ |newspaper=[[Washington Post]] |date=March 30, 1985}}</ref> In 1987, he founded [[Corporate Family Solutions]] with former [[Tennessee]] [[U.S. Republican Party|Republican]] governor [[Lamar Alexander]], which provided day-care programs to businesses.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Aldrich |first1=Marta W. |title=Corporate Family Solutions Fills Expanding Niche |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-01-27-fi-22685-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=January 27, 1997}}</ref>

He was a strong advocate against video game violence and took part in congressional hearings in 1993.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ramirez |first1=Deborah |title=Video game labeling proposed |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-advocate-video-game-labels/130150733/ |work=Times-Advocate |date=December 2, 1993 |page=A3}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=United States Congress Senate Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Juvenile Justice |title=Rating Video Games: A Parent's Guide to Games: Joint Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Juvenile Justice of the Committee on the Judiciary and the Subcommittee on Regulation and Government ... December 9, 1993, March 4, and July 29, 1994 |date=1995 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |isbn=978-0-16-046563-5 |page=194 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mkuw6CmWcvkC&pg=PA194 |language=en}}</ref> He also joined with parents' groups in the 1980s who protested children's TV shows based on toys like [[He-Man]] and [[Transformers]], feeling that toys turned into TV shows did not teach children anything about the real world. He also made a rare film appearance in ''[[The Stupids (film)|The Stupids]]'' in 1996.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Landis |first1=John |author1-link=John Landis |title=Acting Royalty |magazine=[[Film Comment]] |date=September 2015 |volume=51 |issue=5 |pages=14–15  |id={{ProQuest|1716967766}} |quote=Also playing Mr. Sender was Bob Keeshan, better known in America as the beloved Captain Kangaroo.}}{{subscription required}}</ref>

In 1997, he starred as the Wizard in the [[The Muny|St. Louis Muny]] outdoor theater production of ''[[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz|The Wizard of Oz]]''.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Lefkowitz, David |title=Original Captain Kangaroo Opens July 14 as Wizard in Muny Oz |url=https://playbill.com/article/original-captain-kangaroo-opens-july-14-as-wizard-in-muny-oz-com-70968 |website=Playbill |date=July 14, 1997}}</ref>

In the 1990s, Keeshan expressed an interest in bringing back a new version of ''Captain Kangaroo'' as a gentler and kinder answer to the violent cartoons on children's television. Despite having sponsors and television stations lined up, he was unable to obtain permission from [[ICM Partners|ICM]], the company that owned the rights to ''Captain Kangaroo'' at that time.<ref>{{cite web| last=Walsh| first=Bill| title=Corporations Buying and Selling Captain Kangaroo| url=http://jcp.proscenia.net/publications/articles_mlr/walsh/corporations.html| work=Media Literacy Review| access-date=September 4, 2016| archive-date=August 1, 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160801212543/http://jcp.proscenia.net/publications/articles_mlr/walsh/corporations.html| url-status=dead}}</ref>  In 1994, Keeshan was featured as a semi-regular on the [[FX (TV channel)|FX]] daytime talk show ''Breakfast Time''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rosenberg |first1=Howard |title='Breakfast Time' Serves Up Funny Mornings |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-08-14-ca-35086-story.html |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=August 14, 1995 |quote=An exception is its “Thought of the Day” from legendary kids show icon Bob (Captain Kangaroo) Keeshan.}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Keeshan was married to Anne Jeanne Laurie Keeshan for 45 years, until her death February 25, 1996.<ref name= "query.nytimes.com"/> They had three children: Michael Derek, Laurie Margaret, and Maeve Jeanne.

Keeshan resided on Melbury Road in [[Babylon (village), New York|Babylon]], [[Long Island]], [[New York (state)|New York]], before moving to spend the last 14&nbsp;years of his life in [[Norwich, Vermont]], where he became a children's advocate, as well as an author.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bruni |first=Frank |title=Are They Dead Yet? Well, Yes and No |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 9, 1997 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/09/weekinreview/are-they-dead-yet-well-yes-and-no.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm |access-date=December 24, 2011}}</ref> His memoirs, ''Good Morning, Captain'', were published in 1995 by [[Fairview Press]].<ref>{{cite book| title=Good Morning, Captain: Fifty Wonderful Years with Bob Keeshan, TV's Captain Kangaroo| last=Keeshan| first=Robert| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q8oGAAAACAAJ&q=good+morning+captain| publisher=Fairview Press| year=1996| isbn=978-1577490005}}</ref> Bob Keeshan died in [[Windsor, Vermont]], on January 23, 2004, at age 76. He was buried in Saint Joseph's Cemetery in Babylon, New York.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FOHgDAAAQBAJ&dq=Saint+Joseph%27s+Cemetery+captain+kangaroo&pg=PA396| title= Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons| edition= 3rd |first=Scott|last=Wilson|date=August 19, 2016| publisher=McFarland|isbn=9781476625997|via=Google Books}}</ref>

Keeshan's grandson, Britton Keeshan, became the youngest person at that time to have climbed the [[Seven Summits]] by climbing [[Mount Everest]] in May 2004.  He carried photographs of his grandfather on that ascent, and he buried a photo of the two of them at the summit.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/2004-06-02-climbing-keeshan_x.htm |title= Keeshan spans globe to honor famous 'Kangaroo' |access-date=September 20, 2007 |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |first1=Sal |last1=Ruibal |date=June 2, 2004}}</ref>

==Awards==
Keeshan received many honors and awards, including:
{{columns-start}}
* [[Iris Award (United States)|Iris Award]] for man of the year from [[NATPE]] (1965)
* Adopted member of the [[Dartmouth College]] Class of 1942
* Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, [[Alfred University]] (1969)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://herrick.alfred.edu/index.php/i-l |website= herrick.alfred.edu| publisher= Herrick Memorial Library, Alfred University | title=Honorary Degrees, I-L| access-date= August 24, 2018}}</ref>
* Honorary Doctor of Pedagogy, [[Rhode Island College]] (1969)<ref name= museum />
* Honorary doctorate, Dartmouth College (1975) 
* Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Fordham University (1975), his alma mater
* Honorary Doctor of Literature, [[Indiana State University]] (1978)<ref name= museum />
* Honorary Doctor of Laws, [[Elmira College]], 1980<ref name= museum />
* Honorary Doctor of Laws, [[Marquette University]] (1983)<ref name= museum />
* Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, [[Le Moyne College]] (1983)
* Honorary Doctor of Professional Studies, [[Central Michigan University]] (1984)<ref name= museum />
{{column}}
* Honorary doctorate, [[College of New Rochelle]] (1985), after serving for several years on its board of trustees
* Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, [[University of Saint Joseph (Connecticut)|St. Joseph College]] (1987)<ref name= museum /><ref>{{Cite news |last=McCarthy |first=Peggy |date=1987-05-17 |title=COLLEGES, BIG AND SMALL, BID FAREWELL TO CLASS OF '87 |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/17/nyregion/colleges-big-and-small-bid-farewell-to-class-of-87.html |access-date=2023-04-20 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* Honorary doctorate, [[Middlebury College]], the alma mater of his grandson Britton Keeshan, for his work in children's literacy
* Honorary Fellow, [[American Academy of Pediatrics]]<ref name= museum>{{cite web |url=http://www.museum.tv/eotv/keeshanbob.htm |website= Encyclopedia of Television| title=Keeshan, Bob | publisher= The Museum of Broadcast Communications |via= museum.tv | url-status= dead| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20160625045534/http://www.museum.tv/eotv/keeshanbob.htm| archivedate= June 25, 2016 |access-date= December 13, 2022}}</ref>
* Five [[Emmy Award]]s (1978, 1981–1984)<ref name= museum />
* Three [[Peabody Award]]s (1958, 1972, 1979)<ref name= museum />
* National Education Award (1982)<ref name= museum />
* [[International Clown Hall of Fame]] (1990)<ref>{{cite web |title=International Clown Hall of Fame inductees |url= https://famousclowns.org/famous-clowns/international-clown-hall-of-fame-inductees/ |website=FamousClowns.org| publisher= |access-date=15 April 2022 |date=24 July 2015}}</ref>
* Distinguished Service award, [[American Medical Association]] (1991)
* [[National Association of Broadcasters]] Hall of Fame (1998)
{{columns-end}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Bob Keeshan}}
{{Wikiquote}}
*{{IMDb name|id=0444828|name=Bob Keeshan}}
* {{EmmyTVLegends name|bob-keeshan|Bob Keeshan}}
* {{Find a Grave|6881779}}
*[https://digitalcollections.hclib.org/digital/collection/p17208coll5/id/65606/rec/2 Interview with Bob Keeshan] about children's issues and advocacy, ''All About Kids! TV Series'' #187 (1994)

{{Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming}}

{{Portal bar|Biography}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keeshan, Bob}}
[[Category:1927 births]]
[[Category:2004 deaths]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:Columbia Records artists]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:United States Marines]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps reservists]]
[[Category:Fordham University alumni]]
[[Category:People from Lynbrook, New York]]
[[Category:American clowns]]
[[Category:American television show creators]]
[[Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners]]
[[Category:Peabody Award winners]]
[[Category:People from Windsor, Vermont]]
[[Category:RCA Victor artists]]
[[Category:Television personalities from New York City]]
[[Category:People from Norwich, Vermont]]
[[Category:American children's television presenters]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:Forest Hills High School (New York) alumni]]
[[Category:WFUV people]]
[[Category:American people of Irish descent]]