PHOTO COURTESY MEGAN ETZEL

Jack Etzel, the affable and enthusiastic reporter who for more than two decades appeared in popular segments on WPXI, died Tuesday, June 24. He was 91.

Through his features-style “Etzel at Large” segments, Etzel shone a spotlight on personalities and locations in the Pittsburgh region. Predating the rise in roving-reporter style segments in the ’90s, Etzel would report on the people and institutions that Pittsburghers knew well — and others that deserved a wider spotlight.

“He loved the subjects — he had an infinite curiosity about everything,” says Etzel’s daughter, Megan. “What he loved most about ‘Etzel at Large’ was the freedom to do it his way.” He was also unafraid to make himself the punchline, as he did when carrying a full serving of Potato Patch fries on Kennywood’s Laser Loop.

Etzel was born in Washington, D.C., in 1934 and grew up in Georgia and Illinois. A skilled jazz musician, he joined the U.S. Navy Band in 1952 as a trombonist. Four years later, he began his broadcast career, working at stations in Indiana, Illinois and St. Louis before relocating to Pittsburgh. He began with WPXI in 1974, providing reporting, features segments and even handyman advice (in a recurring segment dubbed “Jack of All Trades”) until 1996, when he opted for early retirement.

After leaving WPXI, he hosted a handyman show on WPTT radio and contributed to North Hills Monthly Magazine. He also taught media classes at La Roche University.

Among Etzel’s more unusual achievements is the establishment of National Look Alike Day, an annual celebration of people who closely resemble celebrities. According to the National Day Calendar, Etzel conceived of the holiday on a slow news day in the late 1980s; he and photographer Rick Minutello spotted a man walking Downtown and concluded he was a dead ringer for Humphrey Bogart.

National Look Alike Day, April 20, is now recognized by several calendars and publications. Etzel kept up the tradition with an annual segment; during one scouting trip for lookalikes at Pittsburgh International Airport, he spotted Fred Rogers waiting for a plane. Etzel asked the iconic host if he’d play along, and Minutello readied his camera.

Etzel asked Rogers, “Sir, do people think you look like anyone famous?” Without a trace of irony, the television legend replied, “Well, some people say I look like Mister Rogers. But I don’t really see it.”

That was just one of more than 3,700 “Etzel at Large” segments. “He really loved being able to elevate those stories and bring them into people’s homes every night,” Megan says.

Etzel lived in Franklin Park and is survived by his wife of 47 years, Carol King-Etzel, and his four children.