Mar 14, 2009 11:55 am US/Eastern
The First "Weatherman": Don Kent
A Pioneering Prince of Prognostication: My Mentor and Good Friend
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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Don Kent in an interview with Mish Michaels, March 12, 2009.
WBZ
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Don Kent and Barry Burbank (file image)
WBZ
Don Kent has touched the lives of many aspiring meteorologists, but I believe none as much as mine.
Watch: Mish Michael's Interview With Don
Like many 'weather nuts," I was fascinated with the ever-changing sky by the age of 10.
Watch: Mish's Feature On Don Kent
My interest primarily blossomed from watching Don's weathercasts on WBZ in the late '50s and '60s. In those days, there were no glitzy weather graphics. Don's visuals only consisted of two blackboards and chalk, but what the visual lacked, he made up for with his style of delivery.
His words won me over. No matter what the weather, his presentations were always upbeat and "zesty," not zany. Besides his forecast reasoning, he included tidbits on a range of topics like the maple sap run, cranberry bog temperature and ice boating conditions, which he compiled via the ham radio operators of the New England Radio Weather Net.
Don and I corresponded a few times and in the spring of '66, he invited me to visit him at WBZ. It was a thrill to meet this warm iconoclast of the isobars.
He eagerly chatted about his love of weather, dating back to his school days during the Great Depression.
In the 1930s, Don was inspired to work in weather by the first radio "weatherman," E.S. Rideout. In 1937, Don launched his on-air career, working for a local radio station for no pay. During that time, he focused on atmospheric studies through reading. He also enrolled in an air mass analysis course at MIT, one of the few schools offering meteorology at the time. His knowledge earned him a direct commission in the U.S. Coast Guard through 1946.
The following year, he secured a paying position at WJDA radio in Quincy, broadcasting from his weather lab atop a carpet store on Wollaston Beach.
As weather forecasts became accepted and valued by the public, Don received many other offers to work as a "weatherman."
In 1951, he joined WBZ Radio. By 1955, he found himself on WBZ.
Don became a member of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) back in the late 1940s. In 1960, he was one of the first recipients of the AMS Seal of Approval designating a level of excellence in his television weather forecasting.
After the noon news program that fateful day, Don took me on a grand tour of the station. I was so impressed and inspired that I transformed my home bedroom into a small-scale replica of the newsroom and studio. Don enhanced my zeal to pursue a degree and a career in meteorology.
Years later when I landed my first job in Portland, Maine, Don promised to tune in. I remember him saying "I'll be your first critic."
Just two years later, Don told me about a job opening at WBZ.
"Why not join the sweepstakes and throw your hat in the ring," I recall him saying with his usual flare. But he did caution, "They will probably look at 25-50 videotapes and resumes." Well, that was 24 years ago. it was my great fortune and sincere honor to cover for Don during his vacation days from 1978 until his retirement in 1983. I also worked with him on various New England radio stations for several years afterwards.
Over the years, this baron of the barometer was also active in the solar hearing industry and worked with weather instruments.
In his spare time, he traveled across New England, speaking to audiences about storms and weather related activities like boating and snowmobiling.
Today, Don is 91 years young and still bursting with vim, vigor and passion for the weather. When not helping out in the community or at his church, you'll find him working on the grounds and gardens surrounding his lovely New Hampshire home.
Never at a loss for words or stories, it is always a treat to talk with Don.
He has certainly had a huge influence on my life and to this day, I am proud to be working at the station where he spend much of his career.
The WBZ Weather Team commends Don on his decades of dedication and service to the community.
We wish him many more wonderful years of watching the weather.
Send Don Kent a message by visiting WBZ's weather blog.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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