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Snippets of D-FW anchor dean Clarice Tinsley during her wonder years at Milwaukee's WITI-TV

By ED BARK
Anchor Clarice Tinsley, now in her 33rd year at Dallas-based KDFW-TV (Fox4), spent three years at WITI-TV in Milwaukee before heading here.

Your friendly content provider and native Wisconsinite grew up in Racine watching nearby Milwaukee TV stations, but was a cub reporter and college kid at the University of Wisconsin in Madison by the time Tinsley joined WITI. The station had a long and proud history, and never tired of promoting it. But WITI also was the longtime home base of Albert the Alley Cat, a hand puppet voiced by the station manager who was as popular -- if not more so -- as any of WITI's human personalities. Albert worked with the station's weathercaster for many years before moving over to sports.

Stand-alone footage of Tinsley with Albert may not exist. But you can catch glimpses of her in this one-minute 1978 WITI promo with the theme song, "Count On Us to Take You There." Watch closely at the 34-second mark and again at the 42-second mark during a big holiday dinner scene that of course includes Albert hamming it up.

Ah, the golden age of television, complete with wisecracking weather puppets. Enjoy.