R.I.P.: Indy's Cowboy Bob Was 73

Cowboy Bob Glaze

Indianapolis television icon and children’s show host Bob Glaze, also known as “Cowboy Bob”, has died.

He was 73-years-of-age, according to WIBC 93.1 FM.

Children across Indianapolis and central Indiana grew up watching Cowboy Bob on WTTV Channel 4.  Bob started hosting “Chuckwagon Theater” on Jan. 7, 1970 and would show cartoons during the noon hour.  Later, his show was renamed “Cowboy Bob's Corral” and was moved to mornings.  Cowboy Bob would introduce kids to his dog Tumbleweed, and characters including a puppet named Sourdough the Singing Biscuit. His show included Bugs Bunny and Popeye cartoons, but Bob was the main attraction on the show as kids welcomed the friendly, young cowboy into their living rooms.  The program ran on WTTV for 19 years.

Glaze was born on Dec. 1, 1942 in Guymon, Oklahoma.  He moved to Indiana in 1955 to attend Culver Military Academy as a high school student and went on to attend Indiana University in Bloomington.  Glaze moved to Chicago and started working at WBBM radio as part of several live music programs on the station.  Glaze also toured the country and performed as the opening act for several musicians including Connie Stevens, Hoyt Axton and the Chad Mitchell Trio.

He later returned to Bloomington and started working in 1966 as a camera operator for WTTV on Bob Cook's RFD-4 and The Bernie Nicolei Breakfast Show where he also appeared on camera.

One of the final honors during Glaze’s career was an induction into the Indiana Broadcaster’s Hall of Fame in Nov. 2014.