♪♪ >> HI, I'M KAOMI LEE AND I'VE WORKED WITH BRENDAN HENEHAN FOR SIX YEARS.

>> MY NAME IS DAVID GILLETTE AND I'VE WORKED WITH BRENDAN HENEHAN FOR 17 YEARS.

>> I'M MARY LAHAMMER AND I HAVE WORKED WITH BRENDAN HENEHAN FOR 25 YEARS.

>> I'M KARI KENNEDY AND I HAVE WORKED WITH BRENDAN HENEHAN FOR 30 YEARS.

>> WHAT FIRST COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU THINK OF BRENDAN?

>> PISTACHIOS.

>> MAYBE MUSTACHE.

>> HIS LAUGH.

>> IT IS HIS LAUGH.

>> IF BRENDAN WASN'T A PRODUCER WHAT WOULD BE HIS JOB?

>> MAYBE A BAKER.

>> ARCHITECTURAL PRESERVATIONIST.

>> HISTORIAN.

>> HISTORIAN.

>> WHAT SNACK FOOD DO YOU MOST ASSOCIATE WITH BRENDAN?

>> AGAIN, PISTACHIOS.

>> SALTED PISTACHIOS.

>> IS IT CARROTS?

I DON'T KNOW EITHER.

>> PISTACHIOS.

>> OH, THE NUTS.

>> IS THIS VIDEO MAKING BRENDAN'S SLIGHTLY UNCOMFORTABLE?

>> YES.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

>> THIS IS MAKING BRENDAN VERY UNCOMFORTABLE.

>> THIS VIDEO IS MAKING BRENDAN VERY UNCOMFORTABLE.

>> HOW CAN YOU TELL WHEN BRENDAN IS UPSET?

>> HE GETS QUIET.

>> SOMETIMES HE GETS QUIET.

HE DOESN'T ANSWER EMAILS.

>> THIS ONE'S EASY.

HE GOES LIKE THIS.

[ PIANO MUSIC ] HE'S PROBABLY DOING THAT RIGHT NOW ACTUALLY.

>> HAVE YOU EVER SEEN BRENDAN WITHOUT A MUSTACHE?

>> NO.

>> NO.

>> NO, NOBODY HAS, NOT EVEN HIS MOTHER.

>> IT'S KIND OF HIS THING.

>> WHAT'S AN UNEXPECTED ITEM YOU CAN FIND IN BRENDAN'S DESK?

>> OH, THERE'S A LOT OF ITEMS.

>> USED TO BE A LOT OF BOOKS.

>> ANTIQUE POSTCARDS AND OLD STAMPS.

>> AS LONG AS I'VE KNOWN BRENDAN, HE'S ALWAYS HAD ONE OF THOSE JAW HARPS YOU PUT IN YOUR MOUTH AND GO... [ LIP NOISES ] HE ALWAYS HAS.

>> WHICH OF BRENDAN'S MANY, MANY, MANY, MANY PROJECTS MOST IMPRESSED YOU?

>> HE DID SOME REPORTING HIMSELF BEFORE ALMANAC ON ISSUES THAT WERE REALLY AHEAD OF THE TIME FOR BACK THEN.

CLIMATE CHANGE, THE AIDS EPIDEMIC, WATCHING THAT WORK NOW IS -- IT'S PRETTY STUNNING HOW PRESCIENT IT WAS AND HOW IMPORTANT.

>> I LOVED WORKING WITH BRENDAN HENEHAN ON THE SERIES OF "MINNESOTA'S DEADLIEST..." FILL IN THE STORMS.

TORNADOES, BLIZZARDS, FIRES, AND FLOODS.

>> HE COMPILED A DATABASE OF AFRICAN AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS THAT WERE PUBLISHED IN MINNESOTA BACK TO LIKE THE BEGINNING OF TIME, AND HE DID IT BY STARING AT MICROFILM AND MICROFICHE AT THE HISTORY CENTER.

I DON'T KNOW HOW HE DIDN'T GO BLIND.

>> OH, NO.

LAUGH.

CAN YOU IMITATE BRENDAN'S LAUGH.

>> HOW DOES HE LAUGH?

>> ABSOLUTELY NOT.

IT IS UNIQUE AND ONE OF A KIND.

>> SHOULD WE TRY IT?

THIS IS GONNA HURT MY THROAT.

[ CACKLE ] >> NO.

NO, I CAN'T.

>> WHAT IS SOMETHING BRENDAN DOES REALLY WELL?

>> HE CREATES A TEAM.

>> HE IS LIKE A WALKING ARCHIVE ABOUT TPT.

I CAN JUST ASK HIM.

DID WE EVER HAVE THIS PERSON ON AND HE CAN YOU KNOW, JUST TICK BACK IN HIS MEMORY AND TELL YOU WHAT SEASON AND WHAT YEAR AND AND FIND IT FOR ME.

>> THE FACT THAT HE'S KEPT A SHOW ON THE AIR LIKE ALMANAC FOR 40 YEARS AND KEPT IT AT A CONSISTENT QUALITY LEVEL THE WHOLE TIME IS ALMOST A HERCULEAN ACT IN MY MIND.

SO HE -- SUSTAINABILITY IS SOMETHING HE DOES VERY, VERY WELL.

>> HISTORY, HISTORICAL CONTEXT.

ALMANAC IS BRENDAN AND ALMANAC STRENGTH IS HISTORY AND CONTEXT AND BRENDAN'S BRAIN IS FULL OF HISTORY AND CONTEXT.

>> WHAT WILL YOU MISS MOST ABOUT BRENDAN?

>> I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO START THAT QUESTION ANSWER.

>> I WILL MISS THE WAY THAT HE ENCOURAGED YOU TO TRY TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS A BETTER AND NEW ROUTE FOR YOU TO TAKE AND HOW WE'D KIND OF PUSH YOU SUPPORTIVELY INTO TAKING THAT NEXT STEP.

>> HIS SENSE OF FUN.

>> THE THING I MISS MOST ABOUT BRENDAN, I WOULD HAVE TO SAY HE'S BEEN THE BEST BOSS I'VE EVER HAD.

BRENDAN COULD MAKE MEETINGS FUN.

>> HE CARES ABOUT THE PEOPLE HE WORKS WITH.

>> BRENDAN MADE LIVE TELEVISION FUN.

BRENDAN DEFINITELY HAD A SENSE OF ADVENTURE AND LIVE TELEVISION IS KIND OF CONTROLLED CHAOS SO IT HAS BEEN REALLY WONDERFUL TO GO THROUGH DECADES OF WORK IN LIVE TV WITH SOMEBODY WHO IS FUN AND GETS A KICK OUT OF DOING LIVE TELEVISION.

>> I WILL MISS HAVING HIM BE A - PART OF MY LIFE NEARLY EVERY DAY.

>> SAY SOMETHING NICE ABOUT BRENDAN AND THEN SAY GOODBYE.

>> BRENDAN'S A NICE GUY.

GOODBYE.

>> BRENDAN, WE ARE GOING TO MISS YOU.

I WISH YOU PEACE AND PURPOSE IN YOUR NEXT CHAPTER.

WE'RE ALL GRATEFUL TO YOU.

YOU'VE DONE SO MUCH FOR EVERY ONE OF US, AND THIS IS A BITTERSWEET DAY.

SO, THANK YOU AND THANK YOU, AND GOODBYE.

NOT GOODBYE.

SEE YOU SOON.

THANK YOU AND SEE YOU SOON.

>> IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE ALMANAC WITHOUT BRENDAN.

I THINK BRENDAN IS ALMANAC.

HE CREATED ALMANAC, HE FORMED ALMANAC, HE SHAPED ALMANAC.

THIS FABULOUS MIX OF QUIRKY HISTORY AND POLITICS AND CULTURE AND WEATHER AND MUSIC ALL THESE INCREDIBLY ECLECTIC THINGS THAT ARE SUPER MINNESOTAN, ARE ALL BRENDAN.

SO, THE SHOW AND ALL OF US WHO WORK WITH HIM WILL DEFINITELY MISS HIS REALLY UNIQUE, QUIRKY, BRILLIANT SENSIBILITIES.

>> BRENDAN HAS BEEN MY PRODUCING PARTNER IN CRIME, MY MENTOR, AND ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS FOR THE MAJORITY OF MY ADULT LIFE.

I WILL MISS YOU TREMENDOUSLY HERE AT WORK, BUT I'M NOT GOING TO SAY GOODBYE BECAUSE YOU'RE STILL GOING TO BE A PART OF MY LIFE.

I THINK THAT'S IT.