Blog no. 49

William Zill “Bill” Aldridge Jr. was born on February 26, 1946, in Spring Hill, TN, to William Zill “Zill” Aldridge and Emma Jane Hall. He had two half brothers. Their names were Charles McClellan Lockridge Jr. and Bobby Joe Wells. Bill, though being born an Aldridge, took his mother’s maiden name of Hall along with his half brother, Bobby.

Bill married Carolyn Louise Duncan. They had three children and their names are Tina Louise (Hall) Dunn, Carolyn Ruth (Hall) Edwards, and Jonathan Bradley Hall.

In the late 1960’s or early 1970’s, Bill left to join the army and fight in the Vietnam War, but his time in the war did not last long. He was discharged from the army at the rank of Staff Sergeant and went home to his growing family.

On February 1, 1974, Bill began his work as a weather reporter at the WSMV-TV Channel 4 station in Nashville, TN. Five years later, in 1977, he was given the job of Chief Weathercaster. For many years, he was known to the children who watched him on television for his friendship with the news channel’s mascot, Snowbird, and to the adults as the very calm during bad weather, funny, generous, and accurate weatherman. Bill was loved by all who watched him and everyone trusted his forecasts more than any other weatherman’s on television. After 31 years of working at the station and never having a doctorate in Meteorology, on December 1, 2005, he retired leaving all who watched him with great memories. Some of Bill’s more famous co-workers from the station are Pat Sajak, Robin Roberts, John Tesh, and Charlie Chase.

Alongside being a weatherman, Bill loved fishing and cooking, with lead to him having his own television show on WSMV-TV Channel 4 called Land and Lakes. He also wrote his own cookbook about his favorite recipes for diabetics.

Sadly, on December 23, 2011, in Nashville, TN, Bill died. He was buried at the Pinecrest Memorial Gardens cemetery in Columbia, Maury County, TN. Bill is remembered for being the best man he could be on, and off camera and he will never be forgotten for that reason.