Wednesday is Danny Treanor's last day at News 13 as he retires from TV news after 35 years in Central Florida. In that time, he's become part of our family and yours.

As we celebrate his long career, his longtime colleague, Marla Weech, asks him about his early life, the ups and downs of his career, and how he wants his viewers to remember him.

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Marla Weech: Were you the kid that constantly got into trouble with the teacher, every moment of the day?

Danny Treanor: Yes.

MW: Every grade?

DT: Yes, yes.

MW: What did you get in trouble for?

DT: I was Charlie Brown. "He's a clown."

MW: Were you the one that wouldn't stop talking?

DT: I wouldn't stop talking. I learned my multiplication tables in detention. That's: "I can do my multiplication tables at any moment. Just ask me!"

MW: Did you enjoy getting into trouble because it brought attention from the teacher?

DT: For some reason, my voice carries across the room, and they didn't even have to turn around to know it was me. Quite often, I would say things that weren't as acceptable to the rest of the world.

MW: Do you not have a brake system in your brain?

DT: I do, I do, but…

MW: But you ignore it?

DT: Yeah! I used to say, "I don't have an off switch." Unfortunately, that sometimes goes to ice cream, or it goes to anything -- which again, is one the things about somebody that's been through what I've been through -- we pick up habits real easily, or we transfer. You know, you transfer this. I smoked cigarettes forever and stopped.

MW: You triumphed that, too?

DT: That was great. That and when I stopped drinking were the two best. You know how much money I'm putting in my pocket now that I don't give to that? I was actually paying somebody to make myself sick. That doesn't make any sense to me now.

MW: When you started your broadcast career, I was just barely getting used to walking in kitten heels. Just sayin'!

DT: So, you couldn't reach up and change the channel? Good!

MW: A lot of people, young broadcasters and young students, looked up to you coming up. You gave them a lot to consider, a lot to watch. Any regrets looking back?

DT: Yeah. I wish I had been a better person. I wish I would leave a wonderful legacy, and all that sort of stuff. Those are those "could've, should've, would'ves," which I don't think are things we should waste a whole lot of time on.

As a person, introspectively, I think what we do is we live in the now. Be the best person you can be now, and then pay it forward. Good things happen, bad things happen; it's called life.

It's not always what happens to us, but it's sometimes how we react to it that really -- because I don't have control. If I pretended I had control, I think that's one of the reasons some people drink, because they realize life is out of control. They try to change their mood, or they try to forget, or whatever the excuse is -- and that's what it is. It's an excuse; it's not real. It's a thing that actually takes a lie and makes the lie pretend to be real. "If I do this, then this will happen."

Well, no, things will happen because they happen. You know, there's a lot of higher power going on here than just you and me.

MW: Well, you brought up the drinking, so I'm going to ask you about that.

DT: OK, sure.

MW: First of all, I want to point out that you've been sober for 22 years.

DT: Right.

MW: But you mentioned "the lie." What was the lie that the drinking was built on?

DT: First of all, I told myself if I didn't drink, I would die. There's a lie. Second lie was that I'm not anything unless I'm drinking. Then I'm funny and gregarious and all that.

MW: You're not funny unless you're drinking?

DT: No, exactly. You know, so if you took that away…

MW: That's a lie.

DT: All of a sudden, I became the hole in the doughnut, and I was afraid that -- I was afraid people would find out who I am and not like me.

MW: What was it that turned you around?

DT: The threat of losing my job, when I was doing TV at another station we all know.

MW: That was, ultimately, the most important thing to you in your life, your job?

DT: Right. Family, anything -- nothing else was more important than my job, because I thought I was my job. If I didn't have a job, I would be nobody. So, when the job was threatened, then they got my attention. I went off to rehab, and 28 days later, I came back and have been sober ever since.

MW: You started out in radio. You did "Dialing for Dollars." What a great show that was!

DT: Sure. Right. Yeah.

MW: Well, it was very popular. It was a popular show.

DT: You take the worst movie you can ever find anywhere that no one would watch, and then you try to bribe people to watch it.

MW: Tell me about the blood donations. You have donated gallons.

DT: Twelve gallons, so far. Hopefully, you know, as long as I'm not taking any medicines or anything that restrict me from donating.

The idea was -- and it was a selfish idea, but it was a selfish idea that could benefit somebody else -- when they originally started the blood program, if you donated a pint of blood, you were covered for blood if you needed it for a year. I went "Wow! How much does that cost? I'll go donate for 20 minutes and then, wow, I'm covered for a year!"

But the need for blood, or the feeling that you get from donating and saving somebody's life, somebody you don't even know, and the fact that -- and this is a great thing, men -- this is one of the ways that men can get rid of iron in their blood. It actually can make you healthy.

I believe that if you donate a pint of blood -- and this is not based on science, but this is my belief -- you donate a pint, it tells your body and your system, "Something's wrong. Uh-oh, we've lost a pint of blood. We need to get together and start working." So, it kind of keeps your immune system and your whole system a little bit more on the alert side, in case something serious does come along and you need it to fight for you.

MW: I have to ask you the classic Barbara Walters question?

DT: Not an animal?

MW: And you kind of -- no, no, and not a tree!

DT: Tree?

But you kind of answered it already, a little bit, but…

DT: Color?

MW: How do you want people to remember you, and what do you want on your tombstone?

DT: Oh, I wouldn't mind if somebody said, "He made me smile."

And I have a tendency to be in the friend zone. The friend zone is the one where everybody goes, "He already is my friend." I mean, they may have never met me; I'm already their friend, because they've allowed me into their house. I would like to be remembered like, "You know, occasionally, yeah, he really made me smile," and stop and go, "Son of a gun!"

As long as it's something positive, you know? But for those people who didn't like what I did? It's OK. It's all right.

MW: I have to say, Danny, it's been a pleasure working with you.

DT: No, you don't have to say that.

MW: Well, it's going to be hard to see you go.

DT: No, I have a horse out back. I'm going to ride off into the sunset. It'll be great. I'll have a cowboy hat…

MW: (laughing) He's making me laugh so I won't cry. No, it's been really great working with you, Danny, and we don't just like you, we love you. You made your mark on Central Florida. You will be missed, and you will not be forgotten. Take care of yourself. We hate to see you go.

DT: Gotta make room for the younger people!