James F. Thurman

SHEFFIELD — James F. Thurman, Emmy-award winning writer for children’s television and former Lakeville Journal columnist, died at his home in Sheffield on April 14, 2007, after a short illness. He was 72.

He was the husband of Patricia Thurman.

Born in Dallas, Texas, on March 13, 1935, he was the son of the late Clorene and Frederick Thurman and grew up in Vicksburg, Mich. He was a 1957 graduate of the University of Michigan, where his tenure as a Wolverine quarterback led to a life-long devotion to (if not obsession with) the university’s football team.

One of the early team of writers for Children’s Television Workshop, creators of Sesame Street, Mr. Thurman wrote for "Sesame Street," "The Electric Company," "321 Contact" and "Square One TV."

In addition to writing for these CTW programs, he provided a diverse repertoire of character voices, including "Sesame Street’s" popular Teeny Little Super Guy. Mr. Thurman also wrote sketches for Jim Henson’s "The Muppet Show."

In the mid-1980s, Mr. Thurman was instrumental in bringing the world of math to television for 8- to-12-year-olds.

As co-creator, senior producer and head writer for CTW’s "Square One TV," his imprint was evident in every aspect of the show, especially in the Mathnet segment, a parody of the 1950s "Dragnet," featuring calculator-toting detectives. Mathnet was often punctuated by inside jokes and references, especially those pertaining to the University of Michigan Wolverines and their much-maligned Michigan State and Ohio State rivals.

Mr. Thurman began his career in advertising in Los Angeles. His own brand of irreverent humor soon led him to television comedy, where he wrote for Bob Hope, Dean Martin, Carol Burnett, Bill Cosby and Bob Newhart, among others.

He wrote and voiced the title character for "Shrimpenstein," a satirical children’s television program that aired in Los Angeles during the late 1960s. He also wrote and provided voices for the syndicated cartoon "Roger Ramjet," known for its puns and Hollywood in-jokes. Both programs have since become cult classics with their own Internet fan clubs.

In recent years, Mr. Thurman continued to write, do voice work and write his "Cornered" column for The Berkshire Record in Great Barrington.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Thurman is survived by two sons, Timothy and his wife, Cheryl, of Gloucester, Mass.; Jeffrey and his wife, Niamh, of White Plains, N.Y.; a daughter, Coriell Wright and her husband, Matt Williams, of Washington, D.C; four grandchildren; and his sister, Mary Blocker, of Cary, N.C.

His brother, Jack, predeceased him in 2002.

A celebration of his life will be held at The White Hart Inn in Salisbury on Sunday, May 20, at 2 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, well-wishers are asked to make contributions to the University of Michigan Scholarship Fund/Need-Based Student Support, College of LSA, Development, Marketing and Communications, c/o Robin DeLano, Suite 5000, 500 South State St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109.