By Andy Brack | News hit hard across the state this week about the passing of South Carolina nature guide Rudy Mancke, a guy who many felt to be the cool uncle they never had. His curiosity, patience and passion about nature opened the world of the outdoors for hundreds of thousands of people in South Carolina and across the nation.
Mancke, a Spartanburg native who for years starred in the SCETV show NatureSCene and one-minute nature segments on public radio, died Tuesday at age 78.
“He had an uncanny ability to present the intricate workings of the ecosystems in a way that children and adults alike could understand,” said SCETV’s Beryl Dakers, who co-created the television show in 1978. “His straightforward, folksy manner, coupled with his unbridled enthusiasm would make even the least inclined become a believer.
“His knowledge about nature was incredible. He had an insatiable curiosity about the world around us. Ever the student, he prided himself on continuing to learn something new.”
Dakers and others recalled how Mancke, attuned and attentive to finding the extraordinary in the ordinary, wouldn’t have to walk far across a simple field to engage, entice and unlock the world of bugs, native species and the cycle of life. That’s what happened in the very first television show with Dakers, who helped to haul all sorts of equipment to set up in what looked like a regular empty field.
“I don’t think we moved more than a hundred feet, but within an hour, we knew we had a show. We called it ‘Autumn Fields’ and in 1978, the first NatureSCene program was born.”
Amanda McNulty, host of SCETV’s Making It Grow, added, “You might think you were setting out on a long trek but Rudy would see amazing plants or animals before you’d gone 10 feet.”
He also instructed people about the natural world’s cycle of life – about how plants or small animals often become food for larger animals or how when something dies, it breaks down and recycles into something else.
“He taught us how to make bookmarks from a snakeskin when we found a corn snake that had been hit by a car,” McNulty recalled. “We recycled that snake into Christmas presents.”
Cartoonist Robert Ariail of Camden, who pens the “Lowcountry” weekly cartoon festooned with animal characters of the sort that would appear in Mancke’s shows, found his passion for nature to be infectious.
“Through his television shows and radio spots, he awakened in me a renewed appreciation for the abundance of life in our own backyards,” Ariail said.
Former Gov. David Beasley added, “His commitment, knowledge and love of nature were absolutely remarkable. He has left us so much to learn from and he will be missed.”
Adrienne Fairwell, the new president of SCETV, first met Mancke as a NatureScene intern in 1999. “[I] quickly learned his unconventional field trips would help shape the ecological perspective of nature enthusiasts in South Carolina and beyond. His curiosity and vision for sharing spanned multiple generations.”
Sara Green, executive director of the S.C. Wildlife Federation, said people who attended nature walks with Mancke would never be disappointed.
“His gift of storytelling helped to make the information relatable to our own lives and therefore easier to remember. When leading a nature walk, Rudy would often excitedly find so many things to show the group that we were already entranced before even leaving the parking lot.“
Elaine Freeman, founder of the ETV Endowment, added, “He never lost his desire to learn about every creature, every plant, weed or wildflower and then share his joyful knowledge with the rest of us. He knew and quoted the English poets he revered and never acted like an authority. Rudy Mancke was our Pied Piper, so humble and charming, so articulate that we followed him everywhere.”
If you are thinking now about how Mancke touched your life, get up, go outside. Be amazed by what you find and think about how that cool uncle would be smiling.
Andy Brack is editor and publisher of Statehouse Report and the Charleston City Paper. Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com.
We Can Do Better, South Carolina!
I was so sad upon reading the article about Rudy Mancke passing away. I was a long time viewer of his and Beryl Dakers wonderful series.
I’d frequently see him at Al’s Deli eating lunch with what seemed to be half of Columbia.
What a loss.
Loved you Rudy!