On July 1st, 1935, KWTO, which stood for Keep Watching the Ozarks, began weather broadcasts directly from the Springfield Weather Bureau office. The host was a colorful character named C.C. Williford.
When I was young, Dickerson Park Zoo had an elephant named Ole C.C. Turns out, she was named for Williford. He and his wife, Dorothy, had adopted her. That’s how I knew about Williford, but many knew him from his time on the radio.
Williford’s nephew, David Eslick, said his uncle’s full name was Charles Claiborn Williford, but everyone called him Mr. Williford or C.C. He called him Charlie…