Blue Skies
Meteorologist Fowler a household name in ‘Holy City’
Meteorologist for WCBD-TV in Charleston, S.C., Rob Fowler (’82), grew up in Atlanta and had always been in close proximity to the University of Georgia, so naturally he thought that he would end up there.
That is, until he got a good look at what Georgia Southern’s campus had to offer.
“I visited Georgia Southern in February of my senior year of high school and absolutely just fell in love with it,” Fowler said. “I was ready to sign on the dotted line right then.”
Fowler started at the University in the fall of 1978. Since Georgia Southern didn’t offer a degree in meteorology, he began to take a substantial number of geography courses under the instruction of professor Dan Good. Fowler used the courses to supplement the degree he earned in broadcasting.
Fresh out of college, Fowler landed an internship with a Savannah, Ga., television station through Georgia Southern. His internship soon turned into a career.
“I did a little bit of everything, but weather is kind of where I wanted to hang my hat,” Fowler said.
Fowler went back to school at Mississippi State University, where he received his certification for meteorology.
After working in Savannah for four years, Fowler decided it was time for a change and moved to Green Bay, Wis., where he worked for a couple of years before taking on the role of chief meteorologist for WCBD-TV in Charleston, S.C.
Fowler gained national recognition during the coverage of Hurricane Hugo in 1989, when the television station he was working for ended up being the last station on the air during the storm.
“A lot of people remember me as the last person they saw, the last voice they heard before the power went out; telling everybody to batten down the hatches, and if they hadn’t left yet, then stay put,” Fowler said.
During the Hugo coverage, Fowler was the only full-time meteorologist on staff, had gone without sleep for almost three days, and was handicapped by the technology of the times.
“It’s amazing now when I look back at what we did during Hurricane Hugo with the tools we had at the time, compared to the tools we have today,” Fowler said.
Professionally, Fowler says that Hugo was probably the best thing that’s ever happened to him. But personally, he said, it left him with the feeling that he imagines most people who shared the experience felt – drained and depressed at the sight of the destruction of the city he loved so much.
Fowler truly does love his work and Charleston, the city he has called home for the last 24 years. He said he especially loves that he is relatively close to Georgia Southern, and that he gets to see the Eagles play a couple of times a year against local SoCon teams the College of Charleston and The Citadel.
“I don’t get to make as many trips down to Statesboro as I’d like, but certainly, they [Eagles] are always in my heart, that’s for sure,” Fowler said.