[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 21]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 31281]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                    CLEVELAND WILL MISS DON WEBSTER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. STEVE C. LaTOURETTE

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 18, 1999

  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
Cleveland legend who is leaving our fair city and heading south. Don 
Webster will no longer give Clevelanders the lowdown on lake effect 
snow, water spouts and other area weather abnormalities from his 
familiar home at Channel 5, WEWS.
  Instead, in retirement he'll spend his days in beautiful Hilton Head, 
South Carolina, where I have no doubt he'll nurse his golf game and his 
famed tan. As any Clevelander knows, when it comes to tanning, Don 
Webster gives George Hamilton a run for his money. My guess is he'll 
also delight the locals and tourists with his meteorological prowess 
whenever hurricane watches and warnings are announced, and wax poetic 
about approaching fronts and the effects of El Nino and La Nina.
  Don Webster and I first met more than a decade ago when I was the 
Lake County prosecutor and he was the grand marshal of the Fairport 
Harbor Mardi Gras Parade, and our paths have crossed many times since, 
especially at charity events. Don Webster probably won't enjoy this 
observation, but I feel like I've known him since I was about 10 years 
old.
  I used to watch Don Webster every Sunday on a small, black-and-white 
TV in the living room of my childhood home in Cleveland Heights as he 
emceed Academic Challenge. My hope in mentioning this is that Don will 
at least feel a little bit old since he looks roughly the same today as 
he did three and a half decades ago. It hardly seems fair that Don 
Webster remains the epitome of vigor and perpetual youth while those of 
us who grew up watching him are losing our hair.
  Don Webster is known to an entire generation of Americans as the host 
of nationally syndicated, rock 'n' roll dance show Upbeat. Don Webster 
hosted the show--the second-longest running show of its kind in 
history--for seven years. He got to meet just about every rock 'n' roll 
legend along the way. In fact, Upbeat photos of Webster with Jerry Lee 
Lewis and the Outsiders were included in the ``My Town'' exhibit at the 
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland.
  In his 35 years with Channel 5, Don Webster did a little bit of 
everything--from hosting It's Academic and The Ohio Lottery Show to 
working in management as station manager. But most people know his true 
love was delivering weather forecasts, which he's done for more than 
two decades.
  We will miss Don Webster and his familiar presence in our lives, but 
wish the best for him and his lovely wife, Candace, in their new life 
in Hilton Head.

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