Goodbye Lloyd

Lloyd Lindsay Young is a man who knows who he is and isn't afraid to share it with the world.

A rare thing in this growing age of anonymous blogging.

One of our first conversations at ABC23 more than 3 years ago was how he would be perceived in the Bakersfield market.

Lloyd acknowledged that the initial impression would be shock, dismay and confusion over his "act" which he had developed for more than four decades.

I found him to be funny, driven and truly committed to providing the most accurate forecast in the valley.

Yes, sometimes "really" committed.

The first newscast we ever did together, Lloyd reached over and stroked Jackie's hair telling her how beautiful it was to the touch.

It was a little unnerving for Jackie at the time, and I jumped on the opportunity.

The next night, I put my foot on the base of her chair (which had wheels) while we were on-air and began to slowly push her towards Lloyd at the end of his forecast.

Something she laughingly smacked me for in the commercial break.

My biggest complaint (and it was pretty minor) was Lloyd had no concept of time during his forecasts and would routinely go over, leaving us to scramble to "pinch" a few seconds here and there to get out of the show on time.

Most of the viewers who didn't care for his delivery couldn't get past all the "shtick" and realize he was right on the money about 99% of the time when it came to his forecasts.

Bottom line, he wanted to give people a weather cast that was informative, accurate and fun.

Seriously, how tough is it to say it's gonna be hot or foggy?!

But when it was time to get serious, Lloyd was no-nonsense.

He was very concerned about people's health during the summer and even put out his own health warnings about high temps and bad air.

He called up the Air Board to complain on several occasions when cooling centers weren't being opened for the elderly in the community, when his forecasts showed that the temperature was going to be higher than the numbers coming out of the National Weather Center.

So, I knew something was up when Lloyd pulled me aside last week to tell me the reason for his departure from ABC23.

It was one of the few times we didn't share a laugh.

For the record, he wasn't fired, he didn't take a TV job in Sacramento and his health is fine.

It was a personal family decision, one that I wish him nothing but the best as he moves forward.

I'm really going to miss him.

But if I get too lonely, I need only open my window and listen to his booming voice cascade down the valley.