Tom Leahy dead at 87

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He was better known to thousands of Kansas kids as “Major Astro” — the TV astronaut who took them on a flight to the moon each weekday afternoon. The Kansas State Network (KSN) reports that Tom Leahy has died at age 87.


Leahy first put on his space suit back in 1962 when KARD-TV (NBC) Wichita (now KSN flagship KSNW) needed programming to fill some afternoon space. He became an instant celebrity as kids rushed home from school to catch the show. Major Astro aired on the KSN stations until 1973. He reprised the character briefly in the 1980s on KSAS-TV (Fox) Wichita.

Leahy was inducted into the Kansas Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2001.