BOSTON (AP) - Don Kent, one of the first and most popular TV weather forecasters in Boston, has died. He was 92.
Kent died of natural causes early Tuesday at Franklin Regional
Hospital in New Hampshire, said one of his sons, Jeff Kent.
Kent joined WBZ-AM in 1951 and moved to WBZ-TV in 1955, becoming
a trusted fixture on the airwaves for nearly three decades. He
continued to broadcast on several New England radio stations after
his retirement from WBZ in 1983. He called it the best job in the
world.
Kent's folksy style and his passion made him a favorite among
viewers and listeners. His career encompassed many major weather
events in New England, including the historic Blizzard of 1978,
which paralyzed the region with more than 2 feet of snow and
hurricane force winds.
Kent called it the worst storm he'd ever seen in his life in an
interview on WBZ in March 2009.
He was not only trusted by legions of viewers, but an
inspiration to an entire generation of Boston-area meteorologists.
"It's amazing the impact he had on so many," Jeff Kent said.
"All the meteorologists in Boston looked up to him."
Current WBZ meteorologist Barry Burbank credits Kent with
inspiring, and then nurturing, his television career in the 1960s.
"In those days, there were no glitzy weather graphics,"
Burbank said. "Don's visuals only consisted of two blackboards and
chalk, but what the visual lacked, he made up for with his style of
delivery."
Kent launched his on-air career in 1937, working for a local
radio station for no pay. The highlight he told WBZ, was the
hurricane of 1938.
Kent took a course on air mass analysis at Massachusetts
Institute of Technology in the 1930s, but much of his knowledge was
self-taught or learned during his time in the U.S. Coast Guard.
Kent moved to New Hampshire after he retired and spent his time
gardening, sailing and of course, keeping up with the weather.
"Whenever you'd call him, he's always give you the weather
report, no matter where you were or what time it was," Jeff Kent
said.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
