DANVILLE KIWANIS

News release

On Thursday, March 28, Kiwanis Club of Danville featured a presentation by Bill Meck, WLEX-18 Storm Tracker chief meteorologist. Since his arrival to Lexington in 1999, Bill has visited over 100,000 Kentucky kids with his Bill’s Weather 101 presentations at area schools. The “young at heart” Kiwanians and guests in attendance during Bill’s program were just as enthusiastic as any room full of elementary school students and the many questions asked of him were very engaging throughout the program and brought a great interactive element to the presentation.

Bill’s Weather 101 was presented at nearly 100 schools every year at its peak and is a program that makes teaching the complexities of weather fun and interesting for children. In recent years that number has been reduced to about 50 schools throughout central and eastern Kentucky. Bill shared that he always dreamed of being a TV weatherman and that he was indeed that “nerdy science kid” that volunteered for any and every project that would allow him to pursue his interest in all things weather. That dream became a reality while a sophomore at Iowa State University, when Bill joined the staff at WOI-TV in Des Moines, working on air in several different capacities.

After two years, while chasing tornadoes and finishing his degree, Meck moved to WSPA-TV in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It was there he met his wife, Connie. During his tenure in South Carolina, Bill produced and hosted an award winning severe weather documentary, “Danger From the Sky.”

Next came a three-year stint as the Chief Meteorologist at WSLS-TV in Roanoke, Virginia. It was there that Bill’s Weather 101 was created.

Before coming to WLEX, Bill was weekend meteorologist at WTHR-TV in Indianapolis. He also had probably the greatest weeks any meteorologist could dream of while there in 1997. His daughter was born and then seven days later he saw and videotaped the formation of Indiana’s largest tornado of the year.

Bill’s excitement and passion for his adopted city of Lexington and state of Kentucky were evident as he spoke with pride about his career path and the experiences he has had over the last twenty years. Bill’s great affinity for and work with The Salvation Army Board of Directors and the Lemonade Days fundraiser is an area of which he spoke with great emotion and dedication. Bill was very happy to learn that the Kiwanis Club of Danville is equally as devoted to The Salvation Army with efforts in bell ringing, summer camp tuition sponsorship and back to school supplies.

After a final session of Q-and-A during which Bill spoke with great fondness of his work family and the great friendships that he has developed at WLEX, the program concluded with Kiwanian Mark Cross presenting Bill with a “Fish With Kiwanis” logo cap from the club’s annual event for local children, and a Chicago Blackhawks logo cap in honor of Bill’s favorite hockey team.