Tom Skilling
Encyclopedia
Thomas Ethelbert Skilling, III (born February 20, 1952), known on-air as Tom Skilling, is a popular meteorologist
in Chicago
, Illinois
. He is the chief meteorologist for the weekday midday, 5 and 9 p.m. newscasts at CW affiliate and national cable superstation
WGN-TV
(channel 9).
while attending school at West Aurora High School
. He attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison
to study meteorology
and journalism
. After college he worked as a weatherman in Jacksonville, Florida
, at WKOW
in Madison, Wisconsin
and at WITI in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In January 1995, Tom received an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Lewis University
in Romeoville, Illinois
.
Channel 9 in 1978. He is currently WGN's chief meteorologist and is rumored to be the highest paid local broadcast meteorologist in the United States. He also writes the daily weather column in the Chicago Tribune
, whose corporate parent, the Tribune Company
, owns WGN-TV. His weather broadcasts have always featured the latest technology in computer imagery and animation techniques. He has long been hailed for his in-depth reports and striking accuracy. "Skillful", as his late WGN colleague Bob Collins
called him, was consulted for the movie The Weather Man
, which was set in Skilling's hometown of Chicago at a fictionalized version of WGN.
and National Weather Association
. He hosts annual tornado
and severe weather seminars at the Fermi National Accelerator Lab (Fermilab
) in Batavia, Illinois
. 2006 marked the 25th year of the seminar.
, the discredited former CEO of Enron. He also has a brother named Mark, who attended Southern Methodist University
.
The brothers are sons of the late Thomas Ethelbert Skilling, Jr (1923–2006) and his wife Betty C. Skilling (1924–2008), of Aurora
, Kane County, Illinois
, and grandsons of Thomas Ethelbert Skilling, Sr. (1896–1968) and his wife Lillian Alta Foringer (1897–1979) of Parnassus, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
and Broward County, Florida
.
Their great-grandparents Robert John Skilling (born July 1856) and his wife Mary Quinn (born September 1860) immigrated to the U.S. from Ireland in 1879.
Skilling is a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity.
Meteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. He is the chief meteorologist for the weekday midday, 5 and 9 p.m. newscasts at CW affiliate and national cable superstation
Superstation
Superstation in United States television can have several meanings. In its most precise meaning, a superstation is defined by the Federal Communications Commission as "A television broadcast station, other than a network station, licensed by the FCC that is secondarily transmitted by a satellite...
WGN-TV
WGN-TV
WGN-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the CW-affiliated television station in Chicago, Illinois built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WGN-TV's studios and offices are located at 2501 W...
(channel 9).
Early beginnings
Skilling began his career in broadcasting at age 14, working for WKKD/WLXT-TV (Ch. 60) in Aurora, IllinoisAurora, Illinois
Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
while attending school at West Aurora High School
West Aurora High School
West Aurora High School, or WAHS, is a public four-year high school located in Aurora, Illinois. It is part of West Aurora Public School District 129. The school is also referred to as "West," and "West High,".- History :...
. He attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
to study meteorology
Meteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
and journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
. After college he worked as a weatherman in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, at WKOW
WKOW-TV
WKOW is the ABC-affiliated television station for Madison, Wisconsin. The station broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 26 from a transmitter in the city's Middleton Junction section; the station is also available on Charter Cable systems in the Madison market...
in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
and at WITI in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In January 1995, Tom received an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Lewis University
Lewis University
Lewis University is a private Roman Catholic and Lasallian university located in Romeoville, Illinois, United States . The enrollment is currently around 6,800 students...
in Romeoville, Illinois
Romeoville, Illinois
Romeoville is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. The population was 21,153 at the 2000 census. As of 2006 the population has grown to 36,837. It is located in the southwest suburban area of Chicago near the newly constructed I-355 extension south from the Stevenson Expressway to I-80...
.
WGN-TV
Skilling returned to the Chicago area and began working for WGN-TVWGN-TV
WGN-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the CW-affiliated television station in Chicago, Illinois built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WGN-TV's studios and offices are located at 2501 W...
Channel 9 in 1978. He is currently WGN's chief meteorologist and is rumored to be the highest paid local broadcast meteorologist in the United States. He also writes the daily weather column in the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, whose corporate parent, the Tribune Company
Tribune Company
The Tribune Company is a large American multimedia corporation based in Chicago, Illinois. It is the nation's second-largest newspaper publisher, with ten daily newspapers and commuter tabloids including Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Hartford Courant, Orlando Sentinel, South Florida...
, owns WGN-TV. His weather broadcasts have always featured the latest technology in computer imagery and animation techniques. He has long been hailed for his in-depth reports and striking accuracy. "Skillful", as his late WGN colleague Bob Collins
Bob Collins
Bob Collins was the morning man for WGN-720AM radio in Chicago. His show was the top rated morning show for WGN and kept the station at the top of the ratings. His show featured various conversation as well as some music...
called him, was consulted for the movie The Weather Man
The Weather Man
The Weather Man is a 2005 American comedy-drama film, directed by Gore Verbinski. Written by Steve Conrad, it stars Nicolas Cage, Michael Caine and Hope Davis and tells the story of a weatherman in the midst of a mid-life crisis....
, which was set in Skilling's hometown of Chicago at a fictionalized version of WGN.
AMS and Fermi Labs
Skilling is a member of the American Meteorological SocietyAmerican Meteorological Society
The American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
and National Weather Association
National Weather Association
The National Weather Association is an American professional association with a mission to support and promote excellence in operational meteorology and related activities...
. He hosts annual tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
and severe weather seminars at the Fermi National Accelerator Lab (Fermilab
Fermilab
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory , located just outside Batavia, Illinois, near Chicago, is a US Department of Energy national laboratory specializing in high-energy particle physics...
) in Batavia, Illinois
Batavia, Illinois
Batavia was founded in 1833, and is the oldest city in Kane County, Illinois, with a small portion in DuPage County. During the Industrial Revolution, Batavia became known as ‘The Windmill City’ for being the largest windmill producer of the time...
. 2006 marked the 25th year of the seminar.
Personal
Tom is the older brother of Jeff SkillingJeffrey Skilling
Jeffrey Keith "Jeff" Skilling is the former president of Enron Corporation, headquartered in Houston, Texas. In 2006 he was convicted of multiple federal felony charges relating to Enron's financial collapse, and is currently serving a 24-year, four-month prison sentence at the Federal...
, the discredited former CEO of Enron. He also has a brother named Mark, who attended Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
.
The brothers are sons of the late Thomas Ethelbert Skilling, Jr (1923–2006) and his wife Betty C. Skilling (1924–2008), of Aurora
Aurora, Illinois
Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
, Kane County, Illinois
Kane County, Illinois
Kane County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 515,269, which is an increase of 27.5% from 404,119 in 2000. Its county seat is Geneva, and its largest city is Aurora.- Geography :...
, and grandsons of Thomas Ethelbert Skilling, Sr. (1896–1968) and his wife Lillian Alta Foringer (1897–1979) of Parnassus, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 369,993 people, 149,813 households, and 104,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 361 people per square mile . There were 161,058 housing units at an average density of 157 per square mile...
and Broward County, Florida
Broward County, Florida
-2000 Census:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,623,018 people, 654,445 households, and 411,645 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,346 people per square mile . There were 741,043 housing units at an average density of 615 per square mile...
.
Their great-grandparents Robert John Skilling (born July 1856) and his wife Mary Quinn (born September 1860) immigrated to the U.S. from Ireland in 1879.
Skilling is a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity.