Throughout his life, Bob Saget was always recognized for his kindness and great sense of humor on and off screen.
Beyond his humor, his positivity and outgoing personality drew people to him, said George Cummings, a 1978 communications alumnus and friend of Saget who now works as the programming and production manager of TUTV.
“Bob was very upbeat, friendly, gregarious, he was just a good guy,” Cummings said. “You know everybody liked Bob, and he always strove to be funny. He was very smart but had a great sense of humor. He was just a fun person to be around,” Cummings said.
Saget, 65, died on Sunday in Orlando, Florida, from unknown causes, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Saget graduated from Klein College of Media and Communication in 1978 and went on to pursue a career in stand-up comedy and acting. Although he rose to success after graduating, Saget stayed proud and true to his Temple University roots by maintaining strong relationships with those at the university and returning to celebrate milestones, like Klein College’s naming ceremony in 2017.
Cummings and Saget first bonded in their senior year of college while filming scenes from A Streetcar Named Desire for Cummings’ final assignment in a film class. He asked Saget to play Stanley Kowalski, a character in the adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ play, which Saget hesitated to accept.
“He was kind of resistant because he said, ‘I do comedy,’ because he’s always wanted to do comedy,” Cummings said. “He was funny back when we were in school together, I kind of pressed him a little bit and he actually did a really great job.”
It was Saget’s role as Danny Tanner on Full House that made him America’s dad and a household name
Cummings’ children religiously watched Full House growing up, and he recalled a time when his daughter, then, around age 12, answered a call from Saget.
“I was outside and all I hear from outside is ‘Bob Saget’s on the phone! Bob Saget’s on the phone!’ And I came in, and I took the phone, and he was laughing his head off,” Cummings said. “He ended up sending my kids autographed pictures and other memorabilia. That was Bob.”
Growing up with a single mother, Danny Kilderry always loved the household dynamic on Full House, especially the show’s three father figures. He admired Saget’s role because he was the mature, sweet dad who would tuck his kids into bed and comfort them.
“I always just found that sweet,” said Kilderry, a senior media studies and production major. “[Saget] was a big figure in my childhood in particular.”
Cassie Bambrick liked Saget’s character on Full House because he was supportive of his children and emotionally available, something that wasn’t always the case for Bambrick’s family.
“I just really wanted that for myself,” said Bambrick, a first-year doctoral candidate in the School of Public Health.
Bambrick also admired Saget’s caring personality and felt he was humble compared to other celebrities, she added.
“He never forgot where he came from, didn’t try to disassociate with that,” Bambrick said. “He would even come back to Temple and everything.”
Even after becoming famous, Saget maintained his relationship with those at the university and was always very personable, said David Boardman, dean of the Klein College of Media and Communication.
“One of the things that is special about Temple University is how we help shape individuals,” Boardman said. “And I think Bob Saget represented the very best of that, as somebody who had tremendous success in his career, but also left behind a profound legacy of friendships and meaningful relationships.”
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