It's now Dr. Buddy Wasisname, as MUN honours famed trio

Wayne Chaulk and his pals Kevin Blackmore and Ray Johnson are famous around Newfoundland and Labrador, and across Canada, as Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers.

But Chaulk says making a living as an entertainer wasn't always his plan.

He alreadyhas a diploma in industrial arts, as well as a bachelor of artsand a bachelor of education. Next month, he'll add an honorary degree from Memorial University to his list of educational accomplishments.

"I dunno, b'y, I got no idea why they would consider three stunned arses like us for an honorary degree," Chaulk joked on CBC's St. John's Morning Show.

To tell him that, it was a lovely little crying few moments and it was, I'll never forget it.- Wayne Chaulk

"I mean, it was right out of the blue, but it certainly feels good. It's nice validation.It's another little feather in the hat and kind of a thank you for what we do."

MUN's honorary degrees aredesigned to "recognize extraordinary contribution to society or the university or exceptional intellectual or artistic achievement."

And the 35 years the tremendous trio havebeen making people have a little laugh at themselves certainly fits the bill.

"Either one of us individually would have never done this, it's just that we stumbled ahead together," Chaulk said.

"We always believed that the little bit of talent we got in three different areas, just put it together and give it everything you've got, and hopefully we can feed our families. That is really how we started out and what we believed in. And we've been so fortunate."

Chaulk said when he first found out he would be receiving the degree, he was told to keep it a secret something he sort of failed to do.

"I was told not even to tell my mudder," he said.

"I cheated a little bit. I told some close friends, that sort of thing, but other than that it's been under wraps until now."

Chaulk said his mother is in the throes of dementia, so he caught her at a more lucid moment to share the news with her.

"I got the news in at a point where it meant something, but not as deeply as it would have 10 years ago," he said.

It was a conversation with his father, who, at 91, lives in a home and is in a declining state of health, that was emotional.

'I'll never forget it'

Chaulk said his father, who didn't receive a formal education, instilled in him its importance.

"He worked very, very hard all his life to try to make it, and he started to read and started to self-educate and so on. He really believed in formal education, so he kinda brainwashed me as a kid to do it," Chaulk said.

"To sit down with him at 91 in a home and tell him that, it was a lovely little crying few moments. I'll never forget it."

As for his success with Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers, Chaulk said it's still a bit mystifying to him.

"This is all a mystery, how this happened," he said.

"I started out early in life, figured I'd get some education behind me and then look around and see what I really, really wanted to do, and of course Kevin and Ray came along. Kevin moved into town and everything got screwed up royally, and we did what we did, and this just took off."

Also receiving an honorary degree are Shirley Montague, Dr. Ian Simpson, Frank Fagan, Elaine Dobbinand Dr. Norman Campbell.

The trio will be at the MUN campus in St. John's for their convocation at the end of May.

You can watch CBC N.L.'s documentary on Buddy Wasisnameand the Other Fellers, Still Some More to Go, here.

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