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April 18, 2008
Posted: 10:38 AM ET
If you lived in the Pacific Northwest anytime in the last 50 years… you know who he is. Jim Bosley… or more simply The Boz was a TV pioneer and Portland institution. I had the privilege of working with Boz the last few years of his career. Soaking in television knowledge and know how as much as I could. What I didn’t expect to gain was a father figure and dear friend. He was always there for me after he retired… and even after I left Portland for CNN 5 years ago. He died last week after a long battle with heart ailments. He was 73.
The memorial service was Monday in Portland. And just like the Boz… it was like no other service I’ve ever attended. The best way I can describe this remarkable man to someone who’s never met him is… well… he’s a combination of Willard Scott and Regis Philbin. Big bald warm weatherman and a lovable crank with razor sharp wit. Nobody was more themselves or real on camera than the Boz. He led the weather team at KATU for 30 years while also hosting his own morning talk show. A Portland king and Northwest television legend. The private service Monday was rich with loving friends and TV professionals paying homage to The Man.
I gave the Eulogy. A huge honor. Not an easy task considering how close we were and how complicated Jim Bosley’s life was. Not only was he a weatherman and talk show host, but he also was an accomplished artist, a diplomat to Fiji, and of course a loving family man. Well once I set the stage with an attempt to wrap up his life in ten minutes… a parade of friends and colleagues approached the podium with their thoughts and memories. It lasted two hours but felt like two minutes. Tears were constantly interrupted with roars of laughter. Silence quickly replaced by thunderous gospel music. It was a show and party… and that’s the way Boz would have wanted it.
I’ll miss you my friend.
Rob Marciano, CNN Meteorologist
Filed under: meteorology |
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