Broadcast meteorology icon Dick Goddard passed away August 4, 2020 at age 89 after battling illness. In addition to being a legendary weather forecaster in Cleveland, and a noted advocate for animal welfare, many remember him as inspiring them to look up. CAA member Jay Reynolds shared some thoughts on Goddard and astronomy.

Sure, Dick had the longest TV meteorologist career in history.*

His accomplishments are many.

{In} his first weather segments, in the early 1960s, he knew there may be not enough to talk about. His director suggested that talk about something, trivia or whatever.  He started looking up trivia, which also included astronomy.

For decades, if time permitted, he would always throw out something interesting for viewers to see.

Always hungry for a chance to interact with people, just ask him, he’d come to events or included others in them.

He attended the CAA’s “2012 Transit of Venus Event” at Edgewater Park (7,500 people). Also spoke at Cleveland Astronomical Society.

He always pushed astronomy, science to anyone who would listen.

He loved to make those connections.

Jay Reynolds is Research Astronomer at Cleveland State University, director of the CAA’s Observatory, and a member of the CAA Board of Trustees.

*Dick Goddard holds the Guinness World Record for longest career as a weather forecaster after passing Canadian meteorologist Peter Coade. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Goddard