The Taylorville Kiwanis Club heard from Meteorologist Thomas Patrick from Newschannel 20 and Fox Illinois, during their Tuesday luncheon at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium.

Patrick told the club he's a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and attended college at Valparaiso University in Indiana.  As an accomplished swimmer in high school, he was able to join the University swim team as a walk-on, while studying to be a television meteorologist.

Patrick joined a TV station in Rapid City, South Dakota, as his first job.  He covered the October 2013 blizzard there that dumped up to 5 feet of snow over the Black Hills in a 36 hour period. 

Patrick came to Newschannel 20 and Fox Illinois nearly 3 years ago as a staff meteorologist.

He says he likes becoming part of the communities that the TV station serves, and added that meteorology is one of the fastest growing sciences because of new technology being applied.

Patrick told the Kiwanis Club that it takes nearly 3 hours to prepare a 2 minute televison weathercast.

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club is part of global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.  Weekly meetings are held Tuesdays at noon at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium.  For information on the club, go to taylorvillekiwanis.com.