Don the Weather Guy

 

“Weather or Otherwise?”

“El Nino, Climate Myths, and

Early American Weather Folklore”

 

 

Don has done more than 250 weather presentations at community centers, senior centers, and cruise ships. He focuses mostly in the Washington D.C. area. A graduate of "the weather school of hard knocks," he provides wonderful insights that help shed some light on "Washington's wacky weather." Don delivers a tour de force of weather enthusiasm marked by humor, drama, and pathos. He also works at a radio station—WTOP—to answer questions in a variety of topics from radio audience through telephone.

 

 

If you are interested in arrangeing a weather talk at a future gathering, please contact him at:

Telephone:  (301) 279-8724

E-mail: [email protected].

 

 

Topics of Weather Talks:  

 

·        Weather or Otherwise?

 

Session 1:  Winter weather woes—ratio of rain to snow, the dew point, wind-chill factor

Session 2:  A weather odyssey—why the sky is blue, how clouds form, the rainmakers

Session 3:  Springtime in the USA—lightning myths, tornado havoc, floods, sysygy and perigee

Session 4:  The summer/fall weather machine—tropical cyclones, the dog days of summer

 

·        An American Weather Overview: El Nino, Climate Myths, and Early American Weather Folklore

 

1. The seasons—when do they begin and are those dates significant
2. El Nino/La Nina—what are they and how did they get their names
3. Climatic cycles—the “great warming”, the ice ages, and the “little ice age”
4. The six great early American climate myths
5. “The year without a summer”—when was it and what happened?
6. Early American weather folklore and weather humor
7. The “dog days of summer,” “it’s raining cats and dogs,” “fronts”—where did these whether phrases come from?

 

   

 

Don’s Biography and Credentials

 

Although not a meteorologist or scientist (He retired from a career in the Intelligence Community in

1995), the weather has been his long-term avocation. Having studied and tracked the weather most of his life, he began writing non-technical weather columns in the early 1980's and giving weather talks and seminars when I retired. Rather than dwell only on weather phenomena, his presentations incorporate numerous weather stories and myths and frequent examples of weather folklore.

 

EXPERIENCE

 

1962-1995             National Security Agency, Ft. Meade, MD

 

1982-1993             Weather Columnist, Prince Georges Post and the Journal Papers

 

1996-Present           Weather Instructor, Gerber Seminars, The JCC, Rockville, MD

 

Weather Instructor, Howard Community College, Office of Continuing Ed'n

 

PRESENTATIONS

 

Numerous weather presentations at mostly local, as well as a few distant, community/senior centers, including:

 

In the Caribbean: Celebrity Cruise Lines

 

In Denver, Colorado: Harvard Square • The Heritage Club

 

In the District of Columbia: Chevy Chase House • The Georgetown • Ingleside at Rock Creek • The Methodist Home • The Thomas House

 

In New Orleans, Louisiana: Lambeth House

 

In Maryland:

 

Annapolis- Ginger Cove

Baltimore- Augsburg Lutheran Home • Keswick Multicare Ctr. • Roland Park Place Bethesda- Maplewood Park Place

Chevy Chase- Classic Residence by Hyatt

Columbia- Harmony Hall

Damascus- Damascus Sr. Center

Gaithersburg- Gardens at Kentlands • Walker House

Germantown- Germantown Sr. Center

Glen Arm- Glen Meadows

Greenbelt- Young-at-Heart Seniors

Kensington- Kensington Park

Olney- Brooke Grove Group Homes

Owings Mills - Rainbow Hall

Rockville- The National Lutheran Home

Silver Spring- Aspenwood • Bedford Court by Marriott • Charter House

Westminster- Carroll Lutheran Village

Various locations- Asbury Villages • The Heartlands • Marriott Brighton Gardens •

MD Nat'1 Capital Park & Planning Commission Ctrs • Springhouse Manor

Care • Sunrise Communities

 

In Ohio: Columbus- Marriott's Forum at Knightsbridge • Grand Ct. Columbus

 

In Virginia:

 

Arlington- Culpeper Sr. Center • The Jefferson • Marriott Brighton Gardens:

Burke- Heatherwood

Charlottesville- The Colonnades • Manor House at University Village • Martha Jefferson Hs • Our Lady of Peace

Fairfax- The Fairfax • Fairfax County Library • Little River Glen Sr. Ctr. • The Virginian

Herndon- Harbor House

Lake Ridge- Westminster at Lake Ridge

Sterling- Falcons Landing • Sommerset Retirement Community 

Woodbridge- Potomac Place

Various locations- Sunrise Communities • Marriott Brighton Gardens

 

EDUCATION

 

1958-1962             B.S., Monmouth College, West Long Branch, NJ

1964-1969             M.S., George Washington University, Washington, DC