Huell Howser ‘superfan’ compiles fan pages for tribute book

A self-proclaimed “super fan” of Huell Howser, the beloved host of “California’s Gold” who died Jan. 6, is staging a grass-roots effort to put together a tribute book that will honor the folksy public television host.

Robert DaGasta, a buyer and seller of pop culture memorabilia, has been traveling around the city visiting numerous locales that Howser featured in his program to solicit “tribute pages” that would feature photos and remembrances of Howser. The pages, he said, give locals a chance to say farewell to Howser in a personal way.

“We love Huell, and we really wanted to do something to honor him,” DaGasta said.

DaGasta said he is collecting “tribute photo pages” from Pink’s Hot Dogs, Porto’s Bakery in Glendale, Phillippe’s The Original, Tallyrand Family Restaurant, Musso & Frank’s and several other businesses. His goal is to have the pages signed by hundreds of Howser fans.

He plans to present the pages, collected under the banner “It’s All For Huell!” at a sunset memorial on Tuesday at Griffith Observatory being organized by City Councilman Tom LaBonge. DaGasta hopes the pages will serve as the basis for a tribute book that can be used to collect money for a monument or statue that would be erected in Howser’s honor.