NEW YORK (AP) – With Willard Scott announcing his retirement, centenarians will have to look elsewhere for a salute.
The longtime television weatherman, a fixture on NBC’s “Today” show for 35 years, said Friday that he’s hanging it up. The morning show plans a tribute to his work on Tuesday.
The genial 81-year-old Scott delivered weather forecasts until Al Roker took over that role. In recent years, he’s appeared once or twice a week to mark the birthdays of viewers who had reached 100 years old or beyond. He began working at NBC as a 16-year-old page in the network’s Washington bureau.
The show’s anchors on Friday took note of a memorable Scott moment. He was stationed on the street during President George H.W. Bush’s inaugural parade in 1989, when the new first lady, Barbara Bush, peeled away from the route to give him a kiss.
“America’s first family chose to single out America’s weatherman and I remember smiling from ear to ear at that moment for Willard,” said “Today” anchor Matt Lauer.