WGN-TV’s chief meteorologist Tom Skilling retires Feb. 28. Forty-six years ago, though, he was a household name in Milwaukee.
Meteorologist Tom Skilling presents the weather forecast at the WGN-TV studios in Chicago on July 1, 2013. A taped-off rectangle keeps WGN-TV chief meteorologist Tom Skilling in place when he broadcasts from home on April 10, 2020.
The WGN-TV chief meteorologist Tom Skilling chases tornadoes near Wakita, Oklahoma, on May 10, 2010. Wakita is where the movie"Twister" filmed their F4 tornado devastation. Tom Skilling experiences 80 mph winds as he tours an exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry on March 11, 2010. One WITI colleague, however, threatened Skilling’s professional standing. Albert the Alleycat told bad jokes as part of the station’s weather segments. Albert’s antics, which predated Skilling, were beloved by the station and viewers alike. Professional weather forecasters thought Albert gave them a bad reputation. The AMS threatened to revoke Skilling’s seal of approval because of Albert.
“Those maps are my trademark,” he said. “A move like this might ruin my career, but at least I know I stood up for something I believed in.” The pair visited the National Weather Service office in Chicago and somehow convinced the staff to print an extra weather map each day and mail it to Skilling. Skilling shared his expertise and interest with a broader audience by putting together specials dedicated to a variety of weather phenomenon.After a half century of meteorological study, and firsthand experience between second homes in Hawaii and Alaska, Skilling is convinced that climate change is an undeniably real danger.
Enron’s bankruptcy put thousands of people out of work and wiped out billions in valuation for investors. When the news broke, it was hard for many Chicago viewers to connect the affable weathercaster with America’s corporate villain du jour.In February 2005, their father suffered a stroke and head injury when he fell on a sidewalk in Aurora amid the massive publicity surrounding Jeff Skilling’s imminent trial.
“He was like a child on Christmas morning,” she said, “so full of joy and wonder. It’s just rare and beautiful to see that kind of pure joy in an adult. I think we all hope to taste that feeling from time to time.” “Dear friends — Over the next several weeks, beginning Tuesday, I’m stepping away from my weather duties at WGN to undergo gastric bypass surgery,” he said. “I hate missing work. Suddenly you’re not there — and you leave those who follow your work wondering, ‘Where is he? Where did he go?’ I didn’t want anyone wondering for a minute what’s going on without a heads-up and some kind of explanation of what’s happening.
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Sejal Govindarao | The Texas TribuneSejal Govindarao is a Washington-based reporting fellow and a senior at George Washington University. She reports for the investigations desk of her college paper, the Hatchet, and is the co-founder and president of the campus’ first Asian American Journalists Association student chapter.
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