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The words are flowing slowly tonight.

A friend of mine committed suicide this week in his home.

We used to work together before I moved to Omaha.  Whenever we talked or joked (and it became more infrequent over the years), it seems like we could pick up where we left off.

He seemed to have a great job that he loved.  Viewers adored his quirky sense of humor.

For example, he called his 1979 white Buick, the Lap of Luxury.  He even had a Lap o Lux license plate.

We used to solicit viewer postcards to see who wanted to have Dinner with Don, live on the air.  It never failed that something on the menu didn't agree with him.  It seemed like an act but you never knew.  He often questioned the owner's choice of landscaping selections as well.  It was a riot -- and the people were in on the jokes.  It wasn't even close to being cruel.

He did solid impressions of Forest Gump and the androgynous Pat character from Saturday Night Live.  I assumed he would reprise those roles when he moved to Missouri - fresh material for the new audience.

When we were on air together, it seemed to be a battle of whether the weather guy could make the news guy laugh at the wrong time and vice versa.  He won more than I.

I've always had a soft spot for those who can mix contrasting personality traits with ease -- balancing the "don't take everything in the world so seriously while, at the same time, showing a dedication to a craft and knowing when you have to be serious."

It's probably because it reminds me of me.

I can't begin to understand what made him do this and I don't have the illusion that somehow I could have stopped it.  I wish I could -- but it's bigger than that.

I know his friends in Kansas City said he was getting help for depression and had a strong support network.  Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to overcome the illness.

I hope his wife and daughter will someday find peace.

Brian

Here's a picture of the new team from the mid-90's at KIMT in Mason City, Iowa. 

Don Harman is on the left.

The ribbons were in honor of our morning anchorwoman who was abducted in 1995.