Local television has lost another of its pioneers with the passing of Ian Ali, better known as "Uncle Ian".Ali will be best remembered among those who were children in the 1980s, during which, as "Uncle Ian", he hosted one of local TV's most popular programmes, Rikki Tikki.The 70-year-old media personality died of heart attack-related problems at about 7 p.m. on Thursday.Ali had an unrelated medical procedure at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Centre at Mt Hope on Wednesday.He complained of chest pains and was transferred to the Westshore Medical Facility, where he had a pacemaker inserted on Thursday. He died later that evening.Rikki Tikki was one of the first local shows for children.As Uncle Ian, Ali's warm, buoyant personality was not the only thing that had captured thousands of local children-he also accompanied his many stories and discussions with one-the-spot illustrations.As a teacher and artist, Ali's 40-year career, however, spanned several disciplines.In 1962 he won a government scholarship to study art in the United Kingdom, where he studied at Bath Academy of Art, Sir John Cass School of Art and Hammersmith College of Art and Building.He was proficient in painting, sculpture, design, fabric work, jewelry, pottery, commercial art and illustrating.He was also a lecturer at the Government Training College for teachers and the University of the West Indies Summer Schools.He served at the Ministry of Culture and as a teacher at the Point Fortin Secondary and St Augustine Senior Comprehensive Schools.Ali also ran the Art Television Series.For decades he was active in the Scouting fraternity and served as their National Commissioner for Communications.He was one of the original judges for the Prime Minister's Best Village Competition, where he continued to judge for several years.His impact remains in the art arena, in education, in the development of Carnival designs and studies and in the pioneering of art training on television.Ali's love for his country was also clear in his work
