5 minute read
HAVING A BEER WITH
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ROB KUPEC WRITTEN BY: MEGHAN FEIR PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA
Born in Willimantic, Conn., an old mill town on the eastern part of the state, Rob Kupec knew he wanted to be a weatherman by second grade. Years later, he went to school for meteorology in Albany, N.Y. But before he started working in the industry he worked other jobs, like as a coffee salesman and an assistant restaurant manager.
For nearly 19 years, Kupec has been a recognizable face in the FargoMoorhead area, bringing the forecast to thousands of homes. At KVRR FOX, Kupec has been the chief meteorologist for 8 years, fulfilling his lifelong dream of tracking the weather for a living.
On a perfectly appropriate day of fluffy flurries, Kupec and I met at Drekker to chat about his life. Read on to find out if he’s ever had a ghostly encounter and whether or not circus peanuts candy should survive the year.
Good Life: Are farmer’s almanacs legit or a bunch of malarkey? Rob Kupec: They’re a bunch of malarkey. There’s some interesting data and good weather history, but the predictions are not very good.
GL: Why did you want to be a meteorologist as a kid? RK: In second grade we did a unit on weather and you had to keep a weather diary. When the month ended, I made a new one, and I just kept going. My mom took a map of the U.S. and laminated it for me. I’d take a dry erase marker and make the daily weather map in my room. Then we had a huge blizzard in 1978. Nobody saw it coming. We were in school and all of sudden we were going home. I was like, wow, how did nobody see this coming?
GL: Who was your meteorological hero? RK: When I’m presenting the weather, I can identify things
I do that I totally ripped off from my youth. Growing up, there was this guy on the radio station named Norm McDonald. He would occasionally do the weather in different voices. He’d be like,
“Oh, it’s my brother Igor,” and he’d do the weather in a Russian accent. Not only was he a goofball, he was a super good meteorologist. Some of the techniques I use are definitely similar to his.
GL: Why did you move from Albany to Moorhead? RK: We moved here in 2000 for my wife’s job. When she was looking for a job, we didn’t want to move any farther west than Minnesota, so we stuck to that within about nine blocks.
GL: What did you do after moving here? RK: For the first two years I was the stay-at-home dad, and I didn’t realize what a freak I was. We were out at some event and somebody said, “Oh, you’re that stay-at-home dad that lives across from so-andso,” and I was like, “What? This is how I’m known around town?” I did that for two years. When my son was really young, he thought the mother was always the one who went out and worked. He was like “There’s a kid at preschool whose mom stays home.” He was shocked.
GL: How did you finally get into meteorology? RK: When my son got to kindergarten, my wife was like, “Maybe you should get a job.” I told her I’d like to be a meteorologist, so I took a few broadcasting classes and one was taught by Kevin Wallevand. He had me set up a meeting with John Wheeler. We kind of clicked and he said they could probably get me in as the fill-in guy. One night after Monday football, they let me do the weather, and there I went.
GL: What nationality is the last name Kupec? RK: Kupec is Slovak and means merchant. I’m a real mutt, though. The biggest thing I am is Italian. My great grandfather came from Italy. We took a trip to Italy and went to the town he was from. It was the most amazing trip. Not far from where I grew up there is a cemetery where my other relatives are who fought in the battle of Bunker Hill—Revolutionary War heroes. When I go back home into the wooded areas that used to be the farmsteads of where my ancestors were, it’s a weird feeling.
And walking through the streets of that little town in Italy—it was just amazing.
GL: Do you have any traditions? RK: After doing the genealogical research, we’ve kind of implemented a Slovak Christmas Eve. When my son comes home, he wants the Slovak Christmas Eve. We have sauerkraut soup, which is actually really delicious. You’re also supposed to put out a plate in case a traveler comes, so we always set the table with an extra spot.
GL: Which food should be canceled? RK: Circus peanuts. Who ever thought that was a treat? They’re terrible. I do have affection for oldschool candy, though. At work we have a vending machine, and one day Chuckles showed up. I thought, “It’s nirvana at work.” I put the money in and that row wasn’t working in the machine. The people at the vending company must have thought I was a lunatic because I called them and said, “You put Chuckles in the machine, but I can’t get them. You need to come fix it.”
GL: Do ghosts exist? RK: From personal experience, no, but I have known people who have very convincing stories. In my hometown there was this old place called the Windham Inn. It dates back to the 1700s. The story was that a woman who had lost her baby would walk up the road through the Windham Inn where she used to live. My middle school teacher lived there. She came home one day and her photo albums were scattered about and all the pictures of kids were taken out of the photo albums and spread on the floor. She seemed like a very normal person, not a nut.
GL: What does living the good life mean to you? RK: It means having the ability to travel and see new places, but always having a place to come home. In my 50s I can envision retirement somewhere near a large airport. I’ll also have a camper and travel around with my dog and wife. That would be the good life for me. •
