Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Farewell to a ‘friend’

An old roommate sent me a Facebook message the other day, informing me of the passing of Dave Schwartz, a Weather Channel personality who died of cancer at age 63. Schwartz is one of the reasons I became an unofficial “weather geek.” Back when the Weather Channel was just getting popular, they did, you know, mostly WEATHER. Now, they have actual programming – a legit morning show, and prime time shows that are marginally related to the weather – so I don’t really watch it that much. But back in the day, when all they did was weather, Dave Schwartz was the MAN. Always with a sunny disposition, he had a knack for calling everyone “friend” when he did the weather. As in …

--And, for our friends in Phoenix, phew! You are gonna have some serious heat!
--Watch for severe thunderstorms in the Northeast. That’s right, friend, if you live in the mid-Hudson Valley, you could even see a tornado!


And on and on. Loved the guy. One of my most cherished gifts from my former co-workers at the Poughkeepsie Journal was a signed promotional photo of Dave Schwartz, in which he wrote a short note to “my friend Pete.” Check out this inspiring video of his frank discussion with his battles with cancer, shortly before his death. Farewell, friend.

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