[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 13791-13792]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING DICK GODDARD

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES B. RENACCI

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 27, 2016

  Mr. RENACCI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my congratulations to 
Dick Goddard on a lifetime of success in Northeast Ohio and to offer my 
best wishes on his retirement. As an Akron, Ohio native, Dick has left 
a legacy in Northeast Ohio with his passionate involvement as a 
meteorologist, animal activist, and sports enthusiast.
  Dick's weather career started early during his service with the U.S. 
Air Force during the Korean conflict. Initially assigned to the Severe 
Storm Forecast Center at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, his 
military career soon brought him to the Pacific Islands to an 
assignment with the Atomic Energy Commission for the first full-yield 
hydrogen bomb test. After his discharge from the military, Dick began 
working for the National Weather Service, while simultaneously 
attending Kent State University and later graduating with a bachelor's 
of fine arts.
  Dick's news career began in 1961 working as an on-air meteorologist 
at Cleveland's KYW-TV. While at KYW, Dick made meteorological history 
when flying with the United States Navy Hurricane Hunter on the first 
low-level, nighttime penetration of a hurricane. In 1966, Dick became 
chief meteorologist at WJW-TV, Fox 8 Cleveland, where he spent the 
remainder of his career. During his tenure at Fox 8, Dick captivated 
his viewership, being named ``Ohio's Best Meteorologist'' and being 
voted as ``Best Weatherperson''.
  Directly aligned with his career was his passion for animals, which 
would be clearly highlighted during his segments on air. Demonstrating 
his compassion for animals even for

[[Page 13792]]

the smallest of creatures, Dick is well known for his annual 
``Woollybear Festival''; drawing more than 100,000 people each year, it 
is Ohio's largest single day festival. Among the years of animal 
advocacy, Dick persistently promoted programs for dog & cat care and 
adoption. As a huge milestone for animal rights and as a culmination of 
his tireless work, in June of 2016, House Bill 60 of the Ohio Assembly 
was passed. Otherwise known as ``Goddard's Law'', House Bill 60 sets to 
protect animal abuse in increasing the severity of penalties as a 5th 
degree felony.
  I ask my colleagues in the House to join me, along with the thousands 
in Northeast Ohio in paying homage to the man more commonly known as 
the weather man whose passion for meteorology could be paralleled only 
to his love for animals.

                          ____________________