Richard D. "Dick" Goddard is a former American television meteorologist, author, cartoonist, and animal activist. For over five decades, he served as the evening meteorologist at WJW-TV, the Fox Broadcasting Company-affiliated television station in Cleveland, Ohio. He holds the Guinness World Record for longest career as a weather forecaster after passing Canadian meterologist Peter Coade.
After graduating from Kent State in 1960, he joined the weather team at Westinghouse Broadcasting-owned KYW-TV in Cleveland a year later; while at KYW-TV, Goddard worked alongside sports anchorJim Graner. Goddard was one of several employees of KYW-TV who agreed to move to WRCV-TV in Philadelphia in June 1965, after Westinghouse was allowed by the FCC to reverse a station trade with NBC in 1956 based on coercion in order for Westinghouse to retain their NBC affiliations; the KYW calls also moved back to Philadelphia. However, Goddard did not take a liking to Philadelphia, and returned to Cleveland several months later. In 1966, Goddard became the chief meteorologist at WJW-TV, where he would work for the remainder of his career. After returning to Cleveland, Goddard also was employed with the NFL's Cleveland Browns as the team's official statistician for home games. Then a CBS affiliate, WJW carried Browns games at the time as part of their NFL play-by-play contract until the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, at which point the games moved to WKYC – this was a key factor in his having joined the station. He held this position from 1966 to 2011, with the exception of a three-year period from 1996–1999 when the franchise was suspended as the old Browns franchise moved toBaltimore and Cleveland was given a new team. From August 1977 to January 1979, Goddard also hosted WJW's version of Bowling for Dollars, a syndicated franchised game show. He has also appeared in numerous skits on WJW's popular Big Chuck and Lil' John Show over the years, and does occasional stage work. In honor of Goddard's 50 years on Cleveland TV, most of which was spent at WJW, the portion of South Marginal Road in front of the WJW studios was renamed "Dick Goddard Way" on May 23, 2011. Goddard resided in Medina Township, Ohio. In December 2014, at age 83, Goddard signed a "multi-year" contract renewal with WJW. On May 18, 2016, Goddard announced that he would retire from his weather duties in November 2016, while continuing his animal advocacy and remaining host of the Woollybear Festival. He delivered his last forecast on the station on November 22, 2016, with the station's weather center renamed for him. He will continue to tape animal advocacy and adoption segments for WJW.
The Woollybear Festival
In 1973 Goddard created the first Woollybear Festival, a day-long family event dedicated to teaching children about the weather, family fun, and animals. Some of the events include a caterpillar race, animal costume contests, and musical performances.
Personal life
Goddard moved to Florida where he is in a medical facility. His daughter, Kim, became his caregiver. Kim revealed on May 13, 2020, that he was ill.
Advocacy
Goddard has been an outspoken opponent of animal abuse. "Dick Goddard's Law", a bill to increase the severity of penalties for abuse, was introduced into the Ohio General Assembly in 2013 and reintroduced in 2015. The 2015 version was signed into law on June 13, 2016.
