Paul Herlinger, the second voice actor for Whit in Adventures in Odyssey, passed away on February 2.
Paul Herlinger, who played the voice of Whit for more than thirteen years, had been taking the train from Seattle to Los Angeles to work on the show. That was a two-day journey each way, sometimes longer. But Paul did it—delayed his retirement and even came when he was having some health problems—out of his love for the show and the fans.
In the new Adventures in Odyssey shows, Mr. Whittaker is played by Andre Stojka. Andre has a similar vocal personality to both Hal Smith and Paul Herlinger. Interestingly, Andre took over several voice parts from Hal Smith, including the Owl on Winnie the Pooh.
If you'd like more information about the "Whit transition," feel free to check out this Adventures in Odyssey podcast.