Going back as far as at least the Gold Rush, California has been built on promotion — and we lost one of our greatest boosters this week.
Television host Huell Howser criss-crossed the state promoting our diverse history and culture, uncovering little-known episodes from our past and the back story of better known landmarks and events on California’s Gold and other programs.
Howser was a longtime resident of Los Angeles, and had his own history with Southland transportation.
He served as the region’s official Rideshare spokesman, and we have uncovered a few photos from our Archive to remind us that Huell was a fan of transit and transportation, too.
Howser emceed the 2007 Golden Pylon awards at an annual luncheon which honors traffic reporters’ efforts to keep Southern California on the move.
Also in 2007, Howser brought personality to the launch of Metro’s Rideshare campaign as well as the 9th Annual Diamond Awards which honor successful rideshare programs across the region.
After being invited to host the ceremony, Howell remarked, “People like me don’t really know what rideshare is,” discovering that rideshare includes a variety of alternative means to avoiding traffic other than carpooling, such as telecommuting, riding a bike to work, taking public transportation, and vanpooling.
He lent his unique persona to rideshare ads, webcasts and events, and explored commute options in Southern California as part of his popular television shows.
Two years ago, Huell revisited the Pacific Electric Subway tunnel below Los Angeles which moved streetcars between downtown and Glendale Boulevard from 1925 to 1955:
