KOCE-TV founder passes away at 66

Mike Sciacca

One day before the station he founded celebrated its 30th

anniversary, William A. Furniss passed away at the age of 66.

Furniss, founder and president of KOCE-TV, Huntington Beach, died

on Nov. 19 of lupus after a six-year battle with the disease. He was

diagnosed with it just three months after his retirement.

Furniss, a resident of Mission Viejo, is survived by his wife,

Betty, three children and four grandchildren.

He served as the station’s president from 1970 until he retired in

1996.

“I know he was very proud of the station’s many accomplishments

and awards,” said Mel Rogers, who succeeded Furniss in the role of

station president.

Rogers said that Furniss always held high expectations for KOCE.

“He retired leaving a vital, one-of-a-kind legacy to his community

-- KOCE, PBS from Orange County,” Rogers said. “Bill saw KOCE through

some challenging times. Thanks to his efforts, Orange County public

television still exists today.”

Don Gerdts remembered Furniss as a great friend and talented

colleague.

Gerdts served as KOCE’s original station manager and retired the

same year as Furniss.

“We came down to Huntington Beach to see a piece of land that the

chancellor of the Coast Community School District, at the time Norman

Watson, wanted to show us,” Gerdts recalled of that meeting in July

of 1970. “He asked us, ‘What can you do with this land,’ and we built

a television station on that spot.

“Bill was an energetic dreamer, that’s what I would call him. We

climbed a lot of mountains together. I’ll miss him a lot.”

With Furniss at the helm, KOCE provided Orange County with its

first regular news program, “Newscheck,” the issue-oriented series

“Voter’s Pipeline” and “Jim Cooper’s Orange County,” and a local

magazine series, “Inside Orange County.”

One of KOCE’s best-known series, “The Magic of Oil Painting” with

Bill Alexander, and several telecourses, art series’ and

“how-to-do-it” programs was produced under Furniss as well.

* MIKE SCIACCA covers sports and features. He can be reached at

(714) 965-7171 or by e-mail at michael.sciacca@latimes.com.