Bob Ross
Bob Ross was a painter who left a legacy. He had a show called “The Joy of Painting” on PBS. He was known for his positive demeanor and entertaining haircut. Bob Ross helped positivity spread over the world.
Robert Norman “Bob” Ross was born in Daytona, Florida on October 29, 1942 (biography.com). When he was 18 he joined the United States Air Force as a medical records technician (Congdon 15). On his breaks, he learned to paint using the wet-on-wet technique from a show called “The Magic of Oil Painting” that was hosted by Bill Alexander (Shrieves, Congdon 17-18). He eventually rose to the rank of Master Sergeant, where he had to yell at people as part of his job. He later stated that he hated doing it and would “...never scream again.” (Shrieves).
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To save money on haircuts, he got his perm, which later became his signature style, even though he didn’t like it (Congdon 19). Eventually he was picked up by PBS and was given a show, “The Joy of Painting”. The show had 381 episodes before Bob left in 1994 to deal with his recent lymphoma diagnosis. He eventually died from the illness at age 52 in 1995 (Bob Ross, 52, Dies - Was A Painter on TV).
Even after his death, Bob Ross’ legacy lives on. His visage is still on a line of painting products, and he even has a painting foundation dedicated to teaching his signature style (bobross.com). Not only that, he’s also become quite popular on the internet after every episode of his show was streamed live on popular streaming platform “Twitch “(Perez). His face is also popularly used on t-shirts, with his signature smile prominently shown. He inspired a generation to paint with his positive demeanor, and he is still a source for inspiration today.
In conclusion, Bob Ross spread positivity over the world. He started as a small time painter in the Navy and became an icon for positivity across the world. So long as people paint, Bob Ross’ name will be