AKRON, Ohio — Akron City Council unanimously passed an ordinance making Feb. 24, 2021, Dick Goddard Day in Akron.
The resolution was introduced by Councilwoman Tara Mosley and Mayor Dan Horrigan.
“What a legacy Dick Goddard has left on not only in his hometown but across the State of Ohio for his advocacy for pets and for his annual Wooley Bear Festival. He will forever be a household name. The first time I heard 'Have your pets spayed or neutered' was from Dick Goddard," Samples said in a statement.
In August, Goddard died at 89. An animal rights activist, Goddard successfully lobbied for what is called Goddard’s Law, which Gov. John Kasich signed in 2016. The law makes knowingly causing serious physical harm to a companion animal a felony.
Goddard first appeared on television in 1961, becoming a fixture in living rooms across Northeast Ohio for decades. He spent 55 years forecasting the weather for Fox 8 before retiring in November 2016.
In an article about Goddard's last broadcast, Plain Dealer television reporter Mark Dawidziak said it best when he wrote that Goddard had an "epic TV run as a weatherman."
RELATED: Dick Goddard, a Cleveland broadcast legend, dies at 89
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