He was the son of Edith (Hicks) and Milton Howard Downs, who worked in business. He was a descendant of Davy Crockett, the 19th century frontiersman and later congressman from Tennessee.
The Guinness Book of World Records holder for greatest number of hours
on network commercial television (1985).
Got his start in network TV in 1949 when he won the job as announcer on
the children's show Kukla, Fran and Ollie (1947).
He had a post-Masters degree in gerontology from Hunter College.
He was Chairman of the Board of Governors of the National Space Society, Chairman of the Board of US Committee for UNICEF, and Trustee of the Menninger Foundation. He also served as a member of the NASA Advisory Council.