O'Brian's been focusing his sights on the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership program. O'Brian came to TV after a brief film career. Born Hugh Krampe, Jr. in Rochester, NY, in 1925, the actor, following service in the Marines, spent three years under contract to Universal Studios. In 1958, at the height of his fame, O'Brian formed what is now called the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Program, known as HOBY, which runs leadership workshops for high school sophomores. HOBY is O'Brian's passion.
Some people enjoy hitting a white ball.
I like touching a life. The genesis for HOBY was in O'Brian's 1958 visit to Lambarene, Africa, where he spent nine days with the great humanitarian Dr. Albert Schweitzer. As a volunteer, O'Brian worked with Schweitzer in his clinic, building baby cribs and dispensing food. In fact, the original HOBY kids are now 59 and 60 years old. Today, HOBY has over 5,000 volunteers giving one million hours annually.