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Cecil R. “Pete” Boughn, 79

Cecil R. “Pete” Boughn, 79, of Lincoln, died July 22, 2006, in the hospice care unit of Glenwood, Iowa, nursing home. Mr. Boughn had suffered from two strokes in recent months.

As his body has been donated to science, a “celebration of life” memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 26, at the First United Methodist Church in Blair.

Cecil Raymond “Pete” Boughn was born in Walthill and grew up in Pender. He joined the United States Navy in 1944, and served as a yeoman and petty officer on the hospital ship, USS Hope, in the South Pacific during World War II.

He attended the University of Southern California on the GI Bill, where he earned a journalism degree. He worked for 13 years at the World-Herald, and served as the newspaper’s medical reporter.

In 1965, he moved to the NU Medical Center, where he served as public relations director. Before long, he became the administrative assistant to the center’s chancellor, Cecil Wittson. Mr. Boughn was instrumental in helping Dr. Wittson implement his ideas for medical center growth, both in building and medical center programs.

In 1972, Mr. Boughn moved to Lincoln, where he was assistant to the University of Nebraska president, D. B. “Woody” Varner.

He was an avid tennis player and a lifelong Husker fan.

After retiring, he ventured into acting. He appeared in Lincoln Community Playhouse productions, and had small parts in TV and movie drams shot on location in the area, including the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of Willa Cather’s, O Pioneers!, the ABC miniseries, “Amerika,” the movie, Indian Runner, and the syndicated, “Unsolved Mysteries.”

He is best known as the spokesman for Woodhouse Ford. He always ended with the same message: “Just a country mile north of Omaha – Blair, Nebraska.” He wore bib overalls for the first time in his life when he taped his original commercial for the auto dealer. He continued those commercials for 18 years.

He met his wife, Diane, at the World-Herald, and proposed to her after two weeks. It took her a year to say yes. They were married in 1956. After his wife’s death in 1976, he raised their three sons on his own. The sons, Scott of Los Angeles, Calif., David of Studio City, Calif., and Timothy of Albuquerque, N.M., survive. He is also survived by his longtime companion, Billie Jean Strom of Glenwood, Iowa.

Omaha World Herald 24 July 2006

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Boughn directed many to dealership

Pete Boughn, former assistant to two top administrators in the University of Nebraska system, and then, in retirement, the guy in bib overalls in Woodhouse Auto commercials, has died. He was 79.

Boughn, of Lincoln, died Saturday after suffering two strokes in recent months. He was in hospice care at a Glenwood, Iowa, nursing home.

Bough worked as The World-Herald’s medical reporter before moving to the University of Nebraska Medical Center as public relations director in 1965. Before long, he became administrative assistant to Chancellor Cecil Wittson. Boughn was instrumental in helping Wittson implement his ideas for medical center growth both in construction and programs.

In 1972, Boughn moved to Lincoln as assistant to University of Nebraska President D. B. “Woody” Varner.

Boughn was an avid tennis player and a life-long Husker fan. After retiring, Boughn ventured into acting. He appeared in Lincoln Community Playhouse productions and then had small parts in several TV and movie dramas that were shot on location in the area, including the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of Willa Cather’s “O Pioneers,” the ABC miniseries “Amerika,” the movie “Indian Runner,” and the syndicated “Unsolved Mysteries.”

“They call me when they need an old man with an old face,” he said in a 1996 interview.

Bouhn was best known for his 18 years as spokesman for Woodhouse Ford. He always ended with the same message: “Just a country mile north of Omaha – Blair, Nebraska.” Boughn wore bib overalls for the first time in his life when he taped his original commercial for the auto dealer.

Cecil Raymond Boughn was born in Walthill, Neb., and grew up in Pender, Neb. He joined the Navy in 1944 and served on the hospital ship USS Hope in the South Pacific during World War II.

He attended the University of Southern California on the GI Bill and earned a journalism degree. He worked 13 years at The World-Herald.

As a reporter, Boughn was fair and accurate, retired Executive Editor Louis Gerdes said. “We hated to lose him.”

Boughn met his wife, Diane, at the newspaper and proposed to her after two weeks. It took her a year to say yes. They were married in 1956. After she died in 1976, he raised their three sons on his own. The sons – Scott of Los Angeles, David of Studio City, Calif., and Timothy of Albuquerque, N.M. – survived.

Boughn also is survived by his long-time companion, Billie Jean Strom of Glenwood.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday at the First United Methodist Church in Blair.

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~