KWTV's Gary England has delivered the weather for 30 years

<br>OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Gary England had the best interest of children in mind one night in the mid-1980s when he spoke to them via a television broadcast. <br><br>The KWTV NEWS9 chief meteorologist watched

Monday, October 21st 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Gary England had the best interest of children in mind one night in the mid-1980s when he spoke to them via a television broadcast.

The KWTV NEWS9 chief meteorologist watched as an ominous storm crept over Tuttle, threatening to drop a tornado. He knew from past experience that children were at home alone, scared, with no one to help them.

``I told kids to go into the closet and don't come out until I tell you to,'' England remembered.

``I forgot to say it was OK to come out.''

One boy's parents told England their son heeded the weatherman's warning while they were away. The child dashed to the closet, where he remained for three hours. His parents finally persuaded him it was OK to exit.

Talking directly to children at home during severe weather has become one of England's many trademarks over his career at KWTV NEWS9 in Oklahoma City, a career that started 30 years ago.

England reminisced recently about his good ol' days where laughter was as much a part of the weather forecast as the weather.

He and anchor Ralph Combes constantly bantered about their day or anything Combes could find to pick on the young England.

England said the chemistry wasn't planned, but it worked. The station's audience grew from 30,000 homes to 90,000 over a few rating periods, and England quickly cemented himself as a local celebrity.

Of course, as anyone who knows England can guess, the innuendo and practical jokes almost cost England his job.

Shortly before one newscast, outdoors reporter Bob Jenni led a llama into the studio and tied it to one of the weather boards.

During England's live weather forecast, the llama couldn't wait any longer and relieved itself on the floor. England and Combes couldn't stop laughing.

``I almost got fired for that,'' England said.

Things are much more serious now, he said.

England began his love affair with weather as a boy in the western Oklahoma town of Seiling. His family had little money, and his Grandma Stong's house was the only place to watch television.

It was also Grandma's job to get the children into the cellar when weatherman Harry Volkman told them about impending storms.

It was Volkman who inspired England's career.

``I just fell in love with it. He made it fascinating,'' England said.

England charged a $16 camera to his father's account at the town drugstore and started snapping photos of clouds.

``I liked storms. They scared the heck out of me, but I loved them. I always was just that way,'' he said.

England served in the Navy and attended the Navy's weather school for nearly three years before enrolling in college.

While at the University of Oklahoma, England practiced his TV weather skills by hanging paper on the wall and performing mock newscasts. He graduated from OU in 1965 with his wife, Mary.

He said he spent four years as an oceanographer in Louisiana with a ``very, very mean'' boss, who whipped him into shape, before moving back to Oklahoma, where Gary could find a ``real'' job. The couple was expecting a baby.

Gary and Mary England both worked at KTOK radio, where he took his first trip into animal high jinks. The meteorologist invented the 805-pound Thunder Lizard, whom he reported on daily as the mythical monster jammed traffic on Interstate 40 or tried to eat some farmer's cows.

Listeners called with the latest sightings. England eventually had to stop Thunder Lizard when some people took the lizard stories seriously.

The prank drew attention, though, and landed him where he always wanted to be, in television news. The station manager called England to talk.

``I've heard of you,'' the station manager said. ``You're a little crazy, but I'd like to talk to you.''

England got the job.

On the first day, England said, ``there was this guy; he was a hippie with really long hair. He stepped out and said 'stand by.'''

``I was terrified. I thought, I don't know if I want to do this.''

The job suited him, and the higher pay allowed him to eat. The 5-foot, 7-inch meteorologist's weight ballooned to 192 pounds, and he grew his hair to his shoulders.

He soon straightened up and was on to better days of weather inventions and animals with Spike the weather pig, a potbellied creature that garnered more attention than England and his colleagues.

England's inventions include the first commercial Doppler radar, the warning box in the corner of television sets during regular programming and Storm Tracker, which shows residents the exact time a storm circulation will reach their towns.

His creations are used nationwide. He said new technology is on its way via the military that will keep radar data more up-to-date than ever, with a lag time of a minute instead of 10 minutes.

``You can get someone killed, so you have to be careful,'' England said.

The thought of people dying kept England awake the night of May 3, 1999, when an F-5 tornado ripped through the Oklahoma City area as part of an afternoon tornado outbreak.

``I couldn't sleep. I had visions of hundreds of people dead in their cars. I didn't know until the next morning,'' England said.

``We were pretty lucky and prepared.''

England's warning for residents to get underground to survive defined the monstrous event. It was a warning he'd never given before or since.

He said he hopes nights such as May 3 have inspired others to pursue a career in meteorology and hopefully kept Oklahomans safe. He said he doesn't plan to stop his relationship with the public anytime soon.