Jerome "Bud" Kraehling (; June 19, 1918 – June 3, 2015) was an American

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

and weatherman, whose career spanned over 50 years.

Early life

Kraehling was born in 1918 in

Warsaw, Illinois Warsaw is a city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,607 at the 2010 census, a decline from 1,793 in 2000. The city is notable for its historic downtown and the Warsaw Brewery, which operated for more than 100 years be ...

. His first experience in broadcasting was at nearby Carthage High School (now

Illini West High School Illini West High School (IWHS) is a public high school in Carthage, Illinois, United States. IWHS serves a mostly rural area that includes most of northeastern Hancock County and extends into parts of Henderson and McDonough Counties, covering t ...

), where he played records and read the farm report. After a job at WGIL in nearby Galesburg, Kraehling served in the Army in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Career

In 1946, Kraehling moved to the Twin Cities, taking a job on WTCN radio, before moving to WTCN (now WCCO) TV in 1949. In 1950, he started doing a short weather report during the 10 p.m. news. Kraehling continued in this capacity for the next 46 years, spanning many changes in the industry and advancements in technology. He was known for his gentlemanly and affable demeanor, and was called "trusted" and the station's "

Walter Cronkite Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. (November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009) was an American broadcast journalist who served as anchorman for the ''CBS Evening News'' for 19 years (1962–1981). During the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the mo ...

of weather.Tillotson, Kristin
"Bud Kraehling, WCCO's 'Walter Cronkite of TV weather,' dies at 96"

Minneapolis Star-Tribune Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, June 4, 2015. He retired in 1996, he was hired as a greeter by the

Minnesota History Center The Minnesota History Center is a museum and library that serves as the headquarters of the Minnesota Historical Society. It is near downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota, and is considered one of Minnesota's finest public buildings. The History Cent ...

. He and his second wife, singer Shirley Lockwood, performed in various venues around the Twin Cities as "The Weatherman and the Singing Lady".

Accomplishments

He was the first broadcaster in the Twin Cities to use

weather radar Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar (WSR) and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, and estimate its type (rain, snow, hail etc.). Modern weather radars are mostly puls ...

, the first to use the newly built Shell Weather Tower, and was a longtime advocate to separate commercials from the broadcast itself (in-show product-hawking was a common practice in the 1950s).

Personal life

Kraehling was married twice: to Natalie Harris until her death in 1998, and to

Shirley Lockwood Shirley may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Shirley'' (novel), an 1849 novel by Charlotte Brontë * ''Shirley'' (1922 film), a British silent film * ''Shirley'' (2020 film), an American film * ''Shirley'' (album), a 1961 album by Shirley Bas ...

from 2004 until his death. Kraehling died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

on June 3, 2015. He was survived by his second wife, four children by his first marriage: Candice, Cinda, Claudia, and Katie, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

References

External links

1958 video clip of forecast

1965 video clip of forecast
with anchor Dave Moore {{DEFAULTSORT:Kraehling, Bud 1918 births 2015 deaths American television meteorologists People from Warsaw, Illinois Television in Minnesota