Frank Deal, the longtime weather anchor on WGHP known for his genial personality and fondness for mixing jokes in with his forecasts, died Sunday. He was 84.
A typical Frank Deal joke: "Our man in (Lexington) says you can tell inflation's bad. He says he went to the store the other day to buy bread, and pumpernickel was up to pumpadime."
Deal was a weather anchor at WGHP from 1969 to 1996, when he retired. Prior to that, he had worked at other stations in such markets as Buffalo, N.Y., Flint, Mich., and Detroit.
"He brought his love of acting and theater to delivering the weather," said Karen Adams, the station manager of WGHP. "From his corny jokes to loving ‘those gorgeous hills,' meaning the mountains of North Carolina, he was unforgettable."
Deal was originally from Rosedale, Miss. He went to college at East Tennessee State University where he received a degree in sociology, then spent several years performing in theatrical productions, including the outdoor drama Unto These Hills in Cherokee, before getting his first job in television in 1956.
Van Denton, the current chief meteorologist at WGHP/Fox 8, worked with Deal from 1990 to 1996. They remained friends after Deal retired, often spending holidays and birthdays together. Four years ago, Deal was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and went to a nursing home, where Denton visited him frequently. His last visit was on Saturday.
"My background studying meteorology taught me all the numbers," Denton said yesterday. "Frank conveyed to me by example how you can have fun with it, that there's a lot more to it than just the numbers."
"He was a true talent," Adams said. "He'll be deeply missed."
tclodfelter@wsjournal.com
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