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Sherman A1

(38,958 posts)
Tue May 5, 2015, 03:02 PM May 2015

Obituary: Dianne White Clatto, nation’s first black TV weathercaster

As the tumultuous ’60s descended upon the nation, Dianne White Clatto emerged unwittingly and unceremoniously as St. Louis’ own embodiment of civil rights history.

In 1960, the St. Louis native graduated from the University of Missouri at Columbia, where she was among the first of a handful of black students. That same year, she became the first African American in St. Louis to model for Stix, Baer & Fuller and Saks Fifth Avenue. Two short years later, White Clatto joined what was then KSD-TV (now KSDK NewsChannel 5), becoming the first full-time African-American weathercaster in the country.

She died on Monday (May 4, 2015), at McCormack House on Olive near Vandeventer, a short distance and a world away from where she grew up on Vandeventer and Cook in north St. Louis. Until last week, Mrs. White Clatto had been a longtime resident of the Central West End. She was 77.

A rare beauty with a distinctive voice, Mrs. White Clatto graced St. Louis airwaves for more than 40 years in both television and radio. She had planned, she said, to be a psychiatric social worker.

http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/obituary-dianne-white-clatto-nation-s-first-black-tv-weathercaster

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Obituary: Dianne White Clatto, nation’s first black TV weathercaster (Original Post) Sherman A1 May 2015 OP
Grew up watching her wendylaroux May 2015 #1
Same here. I still remember her well. She was as you said, justhanginon May 2015 #2
I agree 100%! wendylaroux May 2015 #3
Good memories of a much more innocent time. I'm not sure justhanginon May 2015 #4

justhanginon

(3,323 posts)
2. Same here. I still remember her well. She was as you said,
Tue May 5, 2015, 03:26 PM
May 2015

articulate, smart and pretty. Boy, that was a while ago.
I go all the way back to the Howdy Doody Show which we kids all watched after school at a friends house, (only TV in the neighborhood), every afternoon on a tiny screen. I think that show was the one with Princess Summerfallwinterspring. Time, she sure do fly.

wendylaroux

(2,925 posts)
3. I agree 100%!
Tue May 5, 2015, 03:34 PM
May 2015

Faster than the speed of light,past a certain age.
I don't remember Howdy Doody,I remember Romper Room,and Captain Kangaroo tho
When did we get so old?

justhanginon

(3,323 posts)
4. Good memories of a much more innocent time. I'm not sure
Wed May 6, 2015, 10:20 AM
May 2015

how we got here, but it does sneak up on us. I was talking to a good friend of mine I went to high school with and we decided that in a few years when we hit 80 we will officially admit we are no longer middle aged. That's gonna hurt!

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