Don Meier, who created 'Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom,' dies at age 104
Source: Omaha World Herald
By Rick Ruggles
Don Meier, who created "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom" and sparked nature-themed television and reality TV, died Saturday at age 104.
Meier, an Oshkosh, Nebraska, native, graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He and his late wife, Lorena, supported about a dozen scholarships in the NU system that will live on through the couple's foundation.
Meier produced a show out of Chicago called "Zoo Parade" that became his inspiration for the wildlife program of the early 1960s. Meier envisioned that show, "Wild Kingdom," taking television viewers around the world to see animals in their natural habitats.
UNL Journalism Professor Barney McCoy said Meier's hunt for corporate sponsorship was met with a "no" 84 times before Mutual of Omaha executive V.J. Skutt gave the show a chance.
Read more: https://www.omaha.com/news/nebraska/don-meier-who-created-mutual-of-omaha-s-wild-kingdom/article_d26c6a62-f4bc-5a6f-b1ea-0950261d1634.html
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A great, enthralling show
RIP Mr. Meier and thank you 
Hey, with his policy of risk avoidance, it wouldn't surprise me! 
One of the few television programs my parents let us watch! Sunday night my brother and I would get in our jammies, put our little table in front of the black and white TV and watch “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom” and “The Wonderful World of Disney” and eat our grilled cheese sandwiches. Life didn’t get much better than that.
Thank you, Don Meier
and "Wild Kingdom" was even better. Many thanks, Mr. Meier, and rest in peace.
Amazing these folks were still around after all this time. So many of will never forget the call line "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom" (and the big logo on the screen).
R.I.P. and thank you for some eye-opening and entertaining programming (now the stuff of places like Animal Planet or the Nat Geo Channel or even youtube)!
I grew up in the 1960's watching "Wild Kingdom". What a great show! I learned so much from watching it and it inspired me to read books on wildlife and to learn about the diverse animal species featured on the show.
A true TV classic - thank you.
