A look back at the past 40 years of ITV/Global Edmonton history would not be complete without paying tribute to weather specialist Bill Matheson.
Bill is fondly remembered for entertaining Edmontonians with his creative flair and poetic language while delivering the weather forecast.
“Gather ye rosebuds, while ye may,” and, “That most dreaded of all meteorological phenomenons, the Siberian high!” are just two of his most memorable phrases.
Bill’s broadcast career started as a reporter at a Lethbridge radio station, before eventually being lured to television.
He worked in the U.S. in the early 1970s, before returning to Alberta to take a job at the newly-opened ITV in 1976.
Matheson quickly became a household name in Edmonton. He was also a longtime fixture on local radio.
While TV technology rapidly changed throughout the years, Bill snubbed the high tech gadgets and fancy graphics. He stuck to what he knew best : a whiteboard weather map and a felt pen.
In 1995, he was named the “Best Weathercaster In The World” by a group of peers in Paris.
Bill retired in 1999, following 45 years in broadcasting.
He passed away in 2006 at the age of 80, after a lengthy struggle with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
WATCH BELOW: Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2019 was National Weatherperson’s Day so Phil Darlington decided to chat with Lesley MacDonald to find out what it was like to work with Bill Matheson.