In 1969, Social Studies teacher Richard "The Doctah" Whalen began the Kennedy Weather Service after completing unit he had taught in Social Studies. The weather service began humbly, as Mr. Whalen asked if there were any students who would like to learn more about weather on their own. Because Mr. Whalen was a weather enthusiast, and was a member of the Natick High School Weather Service in the 1950s, he was eager to share his interest in weather with students. Three eagerly accepted his invitation. Using a few makeshift maps and a thermometer, Mr. Whalen and the students met in the back of his classroom. The Kennedy Weather Service was born.
During the next twenty-eight years, the Kennedy Weather Service evolved into a local institution with Mr. Whalen at the head. Mr. Whalen obtained more instruments for the weather service and eventually was able to get a room dedicated to the club. In the early 1980s, Channel 4 meteorologist Don Kent donated two maps that were used at the channel to the weather service, allowing students to plot the weather on maps once used by professionals. Mr. Whalen also began taking students to local weather stations and television stations to visit meteorologists. And, he began calling in local weather, having students call television stations with local data, and adding his own at night, when he would call in as the fabled "Dick from Hopkinton." In the early 1990s, the Kennedy Weather Service joined the WeatherNet as one of the first schools to take part in the joint venture by The Museum of Science and Channel 4. This WeatherNet allowed schools to obtain instant access to weather information at local schools. With all this, the weather service continued to grow, and the number of students in the Kennedy Weather Service eventually swelled into the 50s by the early 1990s.
In 1997, Mr. Whalen retired as the long-standing head of the Kennedy Weather Service. The organization was officially dubbed "The Richard Whalen Weather Service" in his honor. He continued his love of weather outside the school, giving lectures to local groups, writing weather-related news stories, and even providing a local forecast for Hopkinton on the internet. Mr. Whalen's shoes were not filled – that was impossible – but a former Kennedy Weather Service member turned teacher took over. Chris Forest took the reins of the organization and helps continue Mr. Whalen's tradition.
The Kennedy Weather Service has provided information and forecasts for Natick and vicinity for more than 35 years. It has provided weather data to people and institutions for a number of reasons. It has reported on local data on a routine basis. It has served as an unofficial weather observatory for this part of the state. And it has provided forecasts that have been heard on the radio and seen on television. Several hundred students have proudly taken part in this activity and at least three have pursued meteorology degrees.
Currently, the Kennedy Weather Service provides a daily forecast that can be heard at our school and is available online and on our weather phone hotline. With a proud tradition more than 30 years in the making, the Kennedy Weather Service hopes to last as long as there is weather in Natick!!!