Who among us didn't chuckle when he predicted his famous "Finckle sprinkles"? My colleague Steve Kahn has contacted me Sunday evening with the truly sad news that we've lost a giant in the world of meteorology with the passing of Earl Finckle at age 81. Earl was a true original---a one of a kind figure in the world of broadcast meteorology. To say that he is going to be missed by his colleagues and legions of fans across this country is an understatement.
My memories of Earl are such warm ones. I chuckle when I think back on the many talks I had with him. He would stop by our WGN weather office frequently to record reports for use on Orion Samuelson and Max Armstrong's WGN radio Noon Show and we'd have a chance to visit and compare notes on the developing weather situation--or some development in the weather which had caught our attention in recent days. They were the kind of exchanges which would take place with a passion and energy that only two genuine weather crazies can understand. I always felt Earl a soulmate in our mutual love of the weather. His innate knowledge of meteorology, honed by years of hard work at his Central Weather Service out of Palwaukee Airport, made him a household name, not only in Chicago but through his work on radio stations across the country. Earl's broadcasts on WIND and his work with my colleagues Orion Samuelson and Max Armstrong on the WGN radio Noon Show as well as their nationally syndicated television agriculture programs air on stations across the country were legendary and widely followed. When Earl spoke, folks at the Board of Trade and elsewhere listened---and intently! He combined his incredibly sharp wit and an often uproarious sense of humor and a keen knowledge of meteorology, the product of years of study and operational weather analysis and forecasting, to generate reports which were at once informative and fun to hear.
Forecasters like Earl Finckle don't come along everyday. It was such a pleasure to have had the privilege to know him and to look forward to his reports. It's his passion toward what he did that makes it so incredibly hard to say goodbye to him. A job VERY well done, my friend!
Tom Skilling
A very likeable guy. Very funny too. I only got the chance to talk with him in person a couple of times but was lucky enough to interact with him on WIND and WIRE in the late 70's and early 80's.
He was one of those people you often think about fondly. No matter what he said or what he was talking about, I would trust him.
I remember him and his distinct voice well. God rest his soul.
Tom,
Thank you so much for mentioning Earl Finkel's passing on your WGN weather report. I was a weather bug who never realized his dream of becoming a meteorologist yet I retain an unending interest in weather. I look foward to your forcasts as an extension of Earl Finkel's legacy.
I remember Earl's broadcasts in Detroit on WWJ, especially as a kid waiting to hear if that 8 inches of snow we were going to get would actually be enough to close our school. "This is Earl Finkle at Weather Command" was one of those great memories that I have of living in Michigan as a youth. He was great at what we did and condolences to his family.
I remember watching him on occasion, as I'm just outside the Chicago proper broadcast area... but when weather conditions were right, we could pick up the Chicago stations over the air.
I won't say Earl has gone on, though. I'd like to think of him as updating his extended forecast.
Earl was fun to listen to; didn't realize he was that far up in years. He always sounded so youthful. Enthusiasm and accuracy, just like Tom!
Tom,
Thanks for sharing this sad news for our profession.
I pray you are doing well, both professionally and personally!
Ken Carey
As another "weather weenie," it is sad to see the passing of anyone like Earl Finckle. But, stuff happens. This came through the ROWF network ... the retired old weather f==ts, comprised mostly of retired AF weather people.
If you get a chance, say "hello" to Ron Santo for me. We played ball together from little league through high school.
Regards,
Ed Boselly
I remember the Earl Finkle forcasts from the "World Famous WOWO Fire Escape" as a kid in north central Indiana. I'm really sad to hear of Earl's passing.