Longtime Nova Scotia broadcaster Don Tremaine dies

Longtime Nova Scotia broadcaster Don Tremaine has died.

Tremaine, 91, hosted CBC Radio's Information Morning in Halifax from 1971 until his retirement in 1987.He was also known for being an announcer on Don Messer's Jubilee.

According to Don Connolly, his friend andlong-time Information Morning co-host, Tremaine had a stroke several days ago and died Sunday morning.

Connolly said Tremainewas "a very private man and a very modest man, and he would not want me to kind of gush about him."

He said he was able to spend some time with Tremaine on Wednesday before he fell ill.

Tremaine was the first newsreader for CBC Nova Scotia in 1954.

"Don Tremaine was one of the first faces people saw and he had an illustrious career there, both on Gazette and subsequently Don Messer's Jubilee," Connolly said.

He said he learned a lot from Tremaine. He called it "basically an 11-year apprenticeship."

A down-home visit with Don Messer and his Islanders

64 years ago

Duration 9:00

CBC Television's Close-Up sends Max Ferguson to interview Don Messer and some of the regulars on his popular weekly television show.

"Most of all, it was a case of being natural. [The] Don Tremaine you heard on Information Morning ... was the same Don Tremaine with whom you might havea coffee."

Tremainewas a member of the Order of Canada and held an honorary doctorate from SaintMary's University.

According to his biography from Saint Mary's University, Tremaine was born in Boston to Canadian parents and came to Halifax in 1931.

He attended Queen Elizabeth High School, where he got some experience as a radio announcer. He joined the RCMP's marine division and served for 18 months after high school.

After that, he became a radio announcer with CHNS in Halifax where he worked for three years.

He joined CBC in Sydney in 1951. One year later, Tremaine was back in Halifax at CBC where he worked for 35 years.

Connolly said when he arrived at CBC in 1976, Tremaine made "no bones" about being "underwhelmed" by Connolly's long hair, cowboy boots and denim clothes.

"About six weeks after I arrived, I knew when I came in that I would basically mind my p's and q's, speak when spoken to and Idid," Connolly said.

"And six or seven weeks in, he asked if Iwould stay after the program and he said, 'I think we can make this work,' and we went from there."

He saidTremainewarmed to him. "I could honestly say that Don Tremaine was my friend."

Connolly said Tremaine's family has decided not to have a funeral.

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