Remembering Al Julius, the man behind the KDKA-TV Turkey Fund
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — As the 42nd annual KDKA-TV Turkey Fund draws to a close, we pause to remember the man who started this great act of generosity for our community, the late KDKA-TV commentator Al Julius.
To say Julius had a way with words would be an understatement, but what you saw on television wasn't just an act.
"I think that's something I have in common with KDKA viewers and the community is that my grandpa was a larger-than-life man and grandpa," Hannah Weilbacher said.
She is one of Julius' four grandchildren. Weilbacher vividly recalls that "TV Al" was also "real-life Al".
"For us as kids, it was so fun to have a grandpa who just loved being theatrical and loved entertaining us and making us smile and making us feel really special," Weilbacher said.
All of that can be found in one of her favorite childhood memories of her grandfather.
"He would take a shot of slivovitz, or plum brandy, at Shabbat dinner. And the way he would do this is he would hold his kippah, his yarmulke, his head covering with one hand and take a shot of the slivovitz with his other hand and make a face because it's disgusting. And then incredibly loudly, and you all know how loud he could be, he would say 'ew-ah' very dramatically. And we just thought that was the funniest thing so we called him 'grandpa ew-ah," said Weilbacher.
She also remembers that Thanksgiving was extra special in the Julius family.
"For much of my childhood, not only did we have grandpa but we also had his mother, who lived to a very old age, my great-grandma Rose. And when I was growing up, we would have Thanksgiving at her Manhattan apartment. And it was such a treat to be able to go up to New York City. Grandpa Al and his wife would bring crafts for us to do and play with. And then one of our favorite traditions sometime during Thanksgiving weekend was to walk around Manhattan's Upper West Side and go window shopping. We would watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons be blown up, and there were a few times we actually went to the parade, which was so fun," said Weilbacher.
Thanksgiving, of course, was also dear to Julius for another reason.
In 1982, as so many local people were losing jobs during the height of the decline of the steel industry, a KDKA-TV viewer sent him $10 and asked him to help feed the needy. Julius took that idea and turned it into a turkey drive, called Julius's Turkeys, which is now the KDKA-TV Turkey Fund.
Over these past four decades, with your generosity, that fund has raised more than $20 million to help our neighbors in need have a Thanksgiving meal.
Weilbacher said, "It's incredibly humbling to be a part of his legacy."
And that legacy now includes the next generation, with Weilbacher's son and Julius' first great-grandchild, Arthur.
"Arthur is 3 months old, and he's named for Al Julius. And his Hebrew name is Aviv, which is also named for Al's Hebrew name Avram," said Weilbacher.
She and her husband, Logan Bayroff, welcomed Arthur over the summer, and already they see a strong Julius family trait emerging.
"He's very vocal. He has a lot to say, and he probably got that from Al," Weilbacher said.
Julius passed away in 2002, years before Hannah and Logan ever met, but through stories he's heard, Baytoff seems to have a pretty firm grasp on what Julius was all about.
"To be known for having a very specific individual brand that people found memorable and lovable and maybe a little irascible. And that he was an iconoclast and really stood up for what he thought was right and wasn't afraid to call people out. Hopefully, Arthur will be able to carry that on by being outspoken but also being compassionate and concerned with the world around him," said Bayroff.
Weilbacher added, "Al Julius was an incredible man whose imprint on his family and his community clearly is lasting. I continue to feel so lucky that I had in my life for as long as I did and sad that he can't be here, that he wasn't with us as me and my sister and my cousins grew up and now with this next generation. We miss him a lot."
