Lake Highlands resident and Woodrow Wilson High School graduate Jerry Haynes, who was known to most as Mr. Peppermint, died yesterday, at age 84, from complications due to Parkinson’s, with which he was diagnosed in 2008.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thpTyN7IlPs[/youtube]

Before becoming the candy striped Mr. Peppermint on WFAA, Haynes was a broadcaster at the same station (he was also big on the local theater scene, according to my blogosphere gatherings).

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Just two weeks ago, or so, while on a rather long drive, I listened to a radio interview with Haynes’ son, Gibby Haynes—who shortly after graduating from Lake Highlands High School where according to the book All Over the Map: True Heroes of Texas Music he played football and basketball and made good grades—started the alternative-rock band Butthole Surfers. (Traumatic childhood memory: My mom ripped their poster off my bedroom wall. But that’s another story.)

Before I’d ever heard of the B-Surfers, I was equally enthralled with the comedic and educational stylings of the elder Haynes and his little sidekick Muffin.

During the aforementioned interview, Gibby talked to Dan McDowell (Bob Sturm was out) of BaD Radio on The Ticket 1310 about going to Cowboys games with his dad, who was working WFAA sports before becoming Mr. Peppermint. Both father and son Haynes have been guests on the BaD (Bob and Dan) show. In fact BaD recently got Mr. Peppermint say how much he hates the show — it’s this thing they do.

During that most recent interview, Gibby also said, candidly, that his dad was close to the end and that the father and son had spoken frankly about death. Here’s a portion of that interview, via podcast.

Peppermint fans, for a nostalgia fix, check out this 1996 Texas Monthly piece, Candy Man.