Donald Edward Kent (September 29, 1917 – March 2, 2010) was an American radio and television weather forecaster for several decades in the Boston, Massachusetts area. He was known as "Boston's first TV Weatherman."

Early life

Kent was born in

Dorchester, Massachusetts Dorchester (colloquially referred to as Dot) is a Boston neighborhood comprising more than in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Originally, Dorchester was a separate town, founded by Puritans who emigrated in 1630 from Dorchester ...

, and was raised in the Wollaston section of Quincy. He graduated from

North Quincy High School North Quincy High School (NQHS) is a public secondary school located in the North Quincy neighborhood of Quincy, Massachusetts, United States. The school serves grades 9 through 12, and has an enrollment of over 1,200 students. It is one of t ...

and attended

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

Career

Kent started doing weather forecasts on radio and TV in the Boston area in 1937. He developed and applied his weather forecasting skills while serving in the

U.S. Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mul ...

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 ...

era, where he achieved the rank of

chief petty officer A chief petty officer (CPO) is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards. Canada "Chief petty officer" refers to two ranks in the Royal Canadian Navy. A chief petty officer 2nd class (CPO2) (''premier maître de deuxi� ...

. After the war and for many years, he appeared on

WBZ (AM) WBZ (1030 AM) is a Class A clear channel radio station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts. Originally started by, and formerly owned for most of its existence by, Westinghouse Broadcasting and its successor CBS Radio, WBZ is owned and operate ...

radio and

WBZ-TV WBZ-TV (channel 4) is a television station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, airing programming from the CBS network. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside independent station WSBK-TV (channe ...

. After retiring from WBZ in 1983, Kent started a new career as the weather forecaster for

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

radio station

WQRC WQRC (99.9 FM; "99.9 The Q") is a radio station broadcasting a hot adult contemporary format. Licensed to Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States, the station serves the Cape Cod region. The station is currently owned by Sandab Communications L ...

. He would compile reports from his home in

Sanbornton, New Hampshire Sanbornton is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,026 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of North Sanbornton and Gaza. History Located in the fork of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers, ...

Death

Don Kent died in the early morning hours of March 2, 2010 of

natural causes In many legal jurisdictions, the manner of death is a determination, typically made by the coroner, medical examiner, police, or similar officials, and recorded as a vital statistic. Within the United States and the United Kingdom, a distinct ...

at Franklin Regional Hospital in

Franklin, New Hampshire Franklin is a city in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 8,741, the least of New Hampshire's 13 cities. Franklin includes the village of West Franklin. History Situated at the confluence of the ...

, at age 92.

Awards and honors

Kent is one of the first to be inducted to the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame, along with

Rex Trailer Rex Trailer (September 16, 1928 – January 9, 2013) was a Boston-based regional television personality, broadcast pioneer, cowboy and Country and Western recording artist. He is best known as the host of the children's television show ''Boo ...

Jess Cain Jess Daniel Dennis Cain II (June 17, 1926 – February 14, 2008) was an American radio personality. Career For 34 years, from 1957 to 1991, Cain was the morning drivetime personality on WHDH/850 in Boston. Cain also was a professional actor and ...

Frank Avruch Frank Bernard Avruch (May 21, 1928 – March 20, 2018) was an American television host who played Bozo the Clown on Boston television from 1959 to 1970. He played the first nationally syndicated version of the clown. Early life Avruch was born in B ...

(

Bozo the Clown Bozo the Clown, sometimes billed as "Bozo, The World's Most Famous Clown", is a clown character created for children's entertainment, widely popular in the second half of the 20th century. He was introduced in the United States in 1946, and to te ...

to Boston television audiences) and Bob Elliott and

Ray Goulding Raymond Walter Goulding (March 20, 1922 – March 24, 1990) was an American comedian, who, together with Bob Elliott formed the comedy duo of Bob and Ray. He was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, the fourth of five children of Thomas Goulding, a ...

(

Bob and Ray Bob and Ray were an American comedy duo whose career spanned five decades, composed of comedians Bob Elliott (1923–2016) and Ray Goulding (1922–1990). The duo's format was typically to satirize the medium in which they were performing, such ...

Bibliography

* "Great New England Storms of the Twentieth Century" (Contributor) Boston: ''The Boston Globe'', 2007

References

External links

2003 interview by Sara Long and Eric Pinder
* ttp://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/03/don_kent_wbz-tv.html Don Kent, 92; WBZ-TV weatherman whose gimmick was credibility*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kent, Don 1917 births 2010 deaths American television meteorologists Television anchors from Boston People from Quincy, Massachusetts United States Coast Guard non-commissioned officers People from Sanbornton, New Hampshire North Quincy High School alumni