We'll miss you, Frank

Houston weather legend Frank Billingsley reveals his upcoming departure from KPRC

Frank Billingsley will leave KPRC in June.

Courtesy of KPRC

The currently longest-running TV weather person in Houston is riding off into the sunset on June 28 — which according to Old Farmer’s Almanac, will be 8:26 p.m.

Frank Billingsley will leave Channel 2 after 30 years with Houston’s NBC affiliate. He also spent six years with Channel 13 before that.

“I'm going to take a break and see what it's like not to wear a suit five days a week!” Billingsley said.

And what’s next? “I love all forms of communication so I'm sure I'll gravitate toward that either as a hobby or a second act. I'll weigh options and go from there. I can tell you that we have no intention of ever leaving Houston. It's our home.”

I recently met with Billingsley to talk about his career in front of a weather map in Houston.

CultureMap: Where did you grow up - was it in a chaotic weather environment like Houston?
Frank Billingsley: Birmingham, Alabama and while we had a good variety of weather, we didn't have the extremes that Houston has. Warm, humid summers and occasional snowfall in the winter with beautiful springs and falls—but no direct hurricane hits, of course, very little flooding in homes and rarely a tornado. That's still true today although tornado alley has shifted a bit closer to them.

CM: What inspired you to pursue a career in weather forecasting?
FB: I went to college for journalism and mass Communications, most likely to be a magazine writer. But I did a little of everything and decided TV would be the best avenue. I have always loved television but in those days it was a lot harder to actually get on TV.

CM: When did you get interested in a TV career?
FB: The weather part when I was offered the job. The Weather Channel started in 1981 and by 1982, when I graduated, a lot of weathercasters were recruited to Atlanta, so stations were clearly in dire need of warm weather bodies. I was "any Frank in a storm". I figured when I failed at being a weatherman I'd pick up something easy, like law or medicine.

CM: Take me through your TV career.
FB: First job was 1982-1986 at WDBJ (CBS) in Roanoke, Virginia. Second job was 1987-1988 at WLOX (ABC) in Biloxi, Mississippi. Third job was 1989-1994 at KTRK (ABC) Houston and KPRC since 1995.

CM: Who were the primary anchors at KPRC when you joined the station?
FB: It was Feb. 1, 1995 and the anchors were Linda Lorelle and Bill Balleza.

CM: What have been the biggest changes in your industry over the years? Is one trend that weather leads the news many days.
FB: Funny, in the old days weather didn't lead over a raindrop for fear of hurting our credibility. Now if we don’t lead over a raindrop we fear losing our credibility. Computer models are the biggest change — they really have gotten so good. Gazillions of equations being processed in a single second to spit out a very accurate forecast. Once upon a time we had to actually do that ourselves. I am interested to see how Artificial Intelligence changes things.

CM: Do you get amused, tired or fed up with TV weatherman jokes?
FB: I love them. My license plate reads WEATHER. I am trying to change it to WEATHERED. I like to say that you've either grown old with me, grown up with me, or grown sick of me.

CM: You went beyond the weather to publicly talk about adoption and being gay. Why did you open up your life like that?
FB: And don't forget prostate cancer. There are subjects that a lot of people find difficult to talk about although the conversation often opens up new paths to learning and self-discovery. Having a platform to elevate those subjects to open and honest discussions has been the best part of my career. I help take away the fear. My intention has always been to help other people and I know for a fact that I have, which is the real reward.

CM: What was the biggest weather story of your career so far?
FB: Harvey, no question. That one goes down as flooding of biblical proportions. Followed by Hurricane Ike, Tropical Storm Allison, and the Big Freeze of 2021.

CM: How would you rate your TV weatherman hair over the years?
FB: The key to aging well is simple: keep your hair on and your weight off. There are pills for both.

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bowled over

Houston artist dishes on Food Bank fundraiser happening this weekend

Picture of several artists at a table with a bunch of handmade ceramic bowls.

Photo courtesy Paula Murphy

Ceramics professor Cori Cryer and her students from Lone Star College Kingwood and the bowls they donated to the 20th Empty Bowls fundraiser

On Saturday, May 16, shoppers have an opportunity to feed those in need by purchasing unique, handcrafted items. The 20th Empty Bowls event takes place at Silver Street Studios at Sawyer Yards from 10 am to 3 pm. A preview party takes place on Friday, May 15 from 6-8 pm (buy tickets here).

The fundraiser is a collaboration between Houston-area ceramists, woodturners, and artists working in all media and Silver Street Studios.

Shoppers can purchase one-of-a-kind bowls for $25 each (larger bowls are priced accordingly). A simple lunch from Salata, a sweet treat from Ben & Jerry’s, and iced coffee from Katz Coffee is served until it runs out. Every dollar of the purchases goes to the Houston Food Bank, which estimates that for every dollar donated, it’s able to provide three meals to Houstonians in need. Since its inception, Empty Bowls Houston has raised $1,208,959 for the Houston Food Bank, which equates to more than 3.6 million meals.

The event also includes live music and art demos. More than 2,000 bowls will be available for purchase, donated by area artists.

Empty Bowls began as a grassroots effort started many years ago at a high school in Michigan and is now held all over the world. Nearly everything for Empty Bowls events, from the food served to the venues hosting events and the bowls for sale are donated.

Cori Cryer, a professor of ceramics at Lone Star College Kingwood, is one of those who, along with her students, donated bowls for the fundraiser. She’s been involved with the effort for all of its 20 years in Houston, and before that in other cities.

“When I started donating, I didn't have a whole lot of money,” Cryer tells CultureMap. “I was a graduate student, and so this was a way for me to give back to the local community. And I think my students today kind of recognize that same feel. You know, they may not have money to send a check off to someone, [but this is] an easy way for them to be able to contribute to the community.”

Cryer teaches Ceramics I and Ceramics II to a variety of dual-credit high school students, college students, and continuing education students. Those in her Ceramics II classes are required to create five bowls to donate to Empty Bowls. But her students in her introductory class often end up donating as well. This year, she and her students provided approximately 150 bowls for the event.

Cryer said that the style of bowls for sale range from something as small as a condiment bowl to much larger serving bowls As each bowl is an individual work, they represent a variety of styles and themes. One of her students this year designed a glazed, ceramic leaf-shaped bowl with ceramic insects on it.

“There's a ladybug and a caterpillar and a spider,” she says, each created out of clay and positioned around the bowl.

Cryer loves seeing how the artists use their imaginations and abilities.

“Most of my students do throw their bowls on the pottery wheel, but that's not required,” she says. “They can hand-build them. It’s completely up to them what kind of construction technique they use.”

Cryer loves knowing that this event is a way for students to see that their artistic efforts can have lasting impact on the community around them. In addition to being able to support the Houston Food Bank, the bowls her class donates, she knows, take on special meaning for those who purchase them.

“I tell my students there is a pot for every person and a person for every pot,” she says.

In fact, one of her personal favorite bowls is one she purchased from an Empty Bowls sale.

“It's a very small bowl, maybe like three inches in diameter, and two inches tall, and it's a little pink pig that I think an elementary student made,” she said. “He has no tail, and he has no ears, but he has a snout, and it is definitely a pig. And I love that little bowl. I have it sitting on my desk at home.”

Cryer knows shoppers attending the Empty Bowls sale will find similar, soon-to-be-beloved items.

The Saturday event is free. Those wishing to attend the preview party on Friday, May 15 from 6-8 pm, which offers light bites, beer and wine, and the first chance to purchase bowls, can purchase a $50 ticket online. In addition, Archway Gallery is hosting an exhibition of 30 one-of-a-kind bowls that can be purchased as part of the Empty Bowls fundraiser. The exhibit runs through May 30.