Rudy Mancke believed in the power of nature.
He was a kind of evangelist of the outdoors and the creatures living among us.
He also believed that every day people, regular South Carolinians of all ages, could find and enjoy the power of nature, too.
"Rudy Mancke held - holds - significant, special influence in my life. He was magical. He was living, breathing Google for all that was real, beautiful & relevant in my natural world, from fields and woods to overlooked lots. Wonder is everywhere. I know because Rudy showed me," Michael Burns, a former editor at The Greenville News, posted last month on X, formerly Twitter.
Mancke died Nov. 7 at age 78 after battling liver disease.
Death, Mancke said in a Nov. 2 episode of NatureNotes, is a part of life, "because of the recycling system that we've got. It doesn't work if death doesn't come in to play."
Mancke was a friend to many, and a calm, reassuring voice to thousands more, many who knew him said.
He was the first naturalist at the South Carolina State Museum, and a naturalist in residence at the University of South Carolina. Mancke hosted SCETV's NatureScene, which launched in 1978 and ran for 25 years with co-creator Beryl Dakers and, later, Jim Welch.
"Rudy was my friend and teacher and guide as we visited many biotic provinces in all 50 states and around the world. I was blessed to be his co-host on NatureScene for over 20 years," Welch wrote in an email to SC Public Radio. "He was a joy and taught me how to love and understand the natural world around us. Rudy left this world in a better place than he found it through his constant sharing of the wonderful mysteries of nature. He is still with me in my heart and mind as I walk the trails in the Blue Ridge Mountains that I now call home."
Mancke also broadcast his love for nature on SC Public Radio's daily program, NatureNotes, where, in his soothing, gentle voice, he talked about the longhorn beetle, mushrooms and the Mediterranean house gecko, to name a few.
His last episode, which aired Nov. 8, was on the fig beetle, answered a question posed by a listener in Myrtle Beach.
"NatureNotes has been a small but welcome delight in my life," Barbara Sloan, of Conway, wrote to SC Public Radio. "From my perspective, they pop up unexpectedly, but are always a joy."
Mancke had fans all over the state.
"One spring morning years ago, Rudy said that if spring came only once in a while or once in a lifetime we would all stop everything and marvel at the miraculous transformation," Hélène Robinson, of Pickens, wrote.
Paraphrasing Mancke, Robinson said, "Every spring I remember this and marvel each day as the species on Earth are born again."
College students at USC would hope to catch a glimpse of Mancke on campus, as he strolled students through the wonders around them. Others, like Sara Dent and Carol Cannon, participated on tours or hikes with Mancke.
Dent wrote, "My husband and I went on an ETV tour of the west-Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks- hosted by Rudy. On the first day of the bus tour, Rudy stopped the bus, got out, and brought a turtle back that he had seen in the road. He walked down the aisle and flipped the turtle over in his hand so we could see the underside. The underside of the turtle looked like it had been painted various beautiful colors. Rudy said it was a western painted turtle! What we couldn’t figure out was how did Rudy spot that small turtle on the road and know what it was when he could not see the underside but only its back?!?"
"The excitement continued throughout the trip as Rudy brought various things to our attention that only he could see! He was wonderful!" Dent added.
Cannon told SC Public Radio, in part, "The first (story) comes from around 30 years ago. I took my 7-year-old daughter on a group hike with Rudy at Lynch’s Woods Park in Newberry. My strongest memory of that hike, is that we spent about half the time walking around the parking lot and looking down at it before we even headed out onto the trail in the woods. Rudy was so excited about the plants, rocks, bugs, and other critters in that area, that we explored it first. In the process, he made that gravel parking lot fascinating.
I had a similar experience 15 years later on a hike to the Cayce-West Columbia Riverwalk. My husband and I joined a group that met at the picnic shelter by the parking lot in Cayce. Rudy identified every plant and tree on the trail, and explained how to recognize them. He pointed out birds and other animals in the woods along the path. He patiently answered every question, with pleasure and enthusiasm. We went at most 50 yards down the trail, but never made it to the river. That didn’t matter, because the purpose was delighting in the world of nature.
My sense on both occasions was that Rudy was a person who had truly found his calling. He was doing exactly what God intended for him to do. He loved the world of nature and sharing that joy and love with others."
Mancke's fandom also stretched generations.
"When Hurricane Hugo hit the Lowcountry (1989), we had a 1-year-old son and one on the way. Of all the things he missed while television broadcasting was off the air for a while (and power was out for two weeks), he missed ETV’s 'NatureScene' the most. He knew roughly the time it usually aired and he would wander over to the television and point." Renee Bowers, of Summerville, said. "As an adult USC student, he sought out a nature tour with Rudy on campus. And later, as a father, he reached out to him to help identify an unfamiliar reptile - and of course he got a gracious reply."
North Charleston's Paul Bowers, Renee's son, said, "I was fascinated with Rudy Mancke my whole life. (I) listened to him in the car, found his voice and his presence so soothing and learned so much about the natural world around me."
South Carolina ETV and Public Radio will celebrate Mancke's life and legacy with a one-hour special, "Remembering Rudy" on Wednesday, Dec. 6. The live program will re-air the same day at 10 p.m.
