Frazer Dougherty, the co-founder of LTV, who died in August at the age of 101, will be feted on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. in LTV's Studio 3 in Wainscott. "Celebration of a Bold Life" will feature videos, reminiscences of friends and colleagues, anecdotes from, in his family's words, "a long and illustrious life," poetry, a live harp performance, and catering by Fairway restaurant.
Founded by Dougherty with Marty Katz and Jill Keefe, LTV began cablecasting from Dougherty's garage on Springs-Fireplace Road in 1984. Since then it has grown from a shoestring operation into a multifaceted organization that broadcasts government and school meetings and a wide range of original community-based programming. It also hosts art exhibitions, cultural events, theatrical and musical performances, and educational programs.
Dougherty's long career included a stint as a B-25 pilot who flew 63 missions during World War II, work with the industrial design firms of George Nelson and Robert Gerson, and the operation of an air taxi service between Fire Island and the East End. He and his wife Frances Ann Cannon Hersey spent the 1970s sailing the Aegean Sea around Greece before settling in East Hampton.
"The idea that anybody could walk in, take a course, and make a television show that could be shown in the community was a novelty of extraordinary appeal," Genie Henderson, LTV's longtime archivist and one of its original producers, told The Star after Dougherty's death. "Frazer was the heart and soul of that . . . I think that this community owes Frazer enormous gratitude."
"Several decades ago, Frazer had a vision of having a community TV station that was ‘by the people and for the people.’ He worked very hard to make that happen,” said Michael Clark, LTV’s current executive director. "It is our job now to make sure his vision continues and stays alive. All of us at LTV are committed to that."
LTV has asked that those who plan to attend the celebration R.S.V.P. to [email protected].
