Ladimir Kwiatkowski (July 13, 1928 - March 2, 1994) was better known as Ladmo on The Wallace and Ladmo Show, a daily children's variety show broadcast on KPHO in Phoenix, Arizona. The program featured clowns, cartoons and short comedy skits.
Kwiatkowski was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Walter and Florence Kwiatkowski. His father was a Cleveland police detective. In 1949 Kwiatkowski decided to attend Arizona State University in Tempe. He wanted to be a sports broadcaster. He played baseball with the ASU team and was considered by scouts from the Cleveland Indians.[1]
Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Ladimir Kwiatkowski graduated from high school in 1947. He had a baseball scholarship to attend Bowling Green University. At the time, he didn’t know whether he wanted to go to college or get a car. He decided on the car. He chose to work and earn the money. But he recognized the importance of a college education. So in 1949 he decided to go to Arizona to Arizona State University (ASU). He wanted to be a sports broadcaster. The baseball weather was good in Arizona. He played with the ASU team and was being eyed by scouts from the Cleveland Indians.
While at ASU, he met and married his wife Patsy Lou. Lad would graduate from ASU with a degree in journalism. He still needed to gain weight to play professional baseball. He decided to try and get a job in television. “If I get a job in television, I’m going to stay. If I can’t get a job in TV, I’m going to take the baseball offer.”
The day after his graduation, he went to Channel 5 to look around. He met with the general manager, Dick Rawls (the future inspiration for Mr. Grudgemeyer) and they hit it off. One hour after returning home, Lad received a call to start work the next day.
While working as a cameraman for KPHO in 1955, he became involved with the It's Wallace? program, developing both his Ladmo character as well as his trademark "Ladmo Bags." He went on to become one of the core cast members of the subsequent permutations of the show, later renamed The Wallace & Ladmo Show. The show's final taping was on December 29, 1989, after 36 years, becoming the longest-running daily children's television show.[2] By that time the show had won many awards, including nine Emmy awards.[3]
Ladmo’s Legend lives strong in the Maricopa County Jails. A “Ladmo”, with the word “bag” now superfluous, is the lunch bag of expired and donated food. A highly coveted item central to gambling, extortion and the currency of inmate commerce.
Kwiatkowski was married to Patsy Killough on March 31, 1951, and they had five children. Kwiatkowski died of lung cancer in Tempe, Arizona.
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