Donald Edward Kent (September 29, 1917 – March 2, 2010) was an American radio and television weather forecaster for several decades in the

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

area. He was known as "Boston's first TV Weatherman."

Early life

Kent was born in

Dorchester, Massachusetts Dorchester () is a Neighborhoods in 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, Dorset, E ...

, and was raised in the Wollaston section of Quincy. He graduated from North Quincy High School and attended

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...

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 during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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, usually above petty officer. By country Australia "Chief Petty Officer" is the second highest non-commissioned rank in the Royal Australian Navy ...

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

WBZ (AM) WBZ (1030 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial AM radio station, city of license, licensed to Boston, Massachusetts, and owned and operated by iHeartMedia, Inc. Its studios and offices are located on Cabot Road in the Boston suburb of Medford, ...

radio and

WBZ-TV WBZ-TV (channel 4) is a television station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, serving as the market's CBS outlet. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside independent WSBK-TV (channel 38). Bo ...

. 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 Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer months. The ...

radio station

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

. He would compile reports from his home in

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

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 distinc ...

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 lowest figure of New Hampshire's 13 cities. Franklin includes the village of West Franklin. History Situated at the conflue ...

, 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 an American 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 ''Boomtow ...

, Jess Cain,

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 ...

(

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 tel ...

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. Early life Goulding was born in Lowell, Massachusetts; he was the fourth of five chil ...

(

Bob and Ray Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname) *Bob (dog), a dog that received the Dickin Medal for bravery in World War II *Bob the ...

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 weather presenters 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