After more than 30 years forecasting the weather in southern Alberta, CTV Lethbridge weather specialist and special events coordinator Dory Rossiter has retired.
“I have been blessed,” said Rossiter. “I look back on those years and it just seems like they were gone in a heartbeat. It’s been so fast, but I think it’s because I loved it.”
Rossiter began with CFCN in 1990 as the weather anchor/specialist.
“I started actually working with Terry Vogt. They needed someone to do these ‘before you invest’ investment features and there was very sober information about investing, but also, they would have these little vignettes that were humorous in there and they needed a woman to act as the wife of this guy,” Rossiter recalled.
“I worked with Terry for eight or nine weeks putting those together in 1989, and then in 1990, when CTV Lethbridge got their half-hour newscast, they needed a weather anchor, and they hired me.”
Rossiter launched the first live newscast for the station, sharing the anchor desk with Chris Gailus and Gene Principe.
“I remember walking out of the station that very first day – it was June – and it was hot and the heat kind of just hit you and the sunshine as you walked out the door and I remember thinking, ‘I’m actually on television. I’m on television,’ and I just about did cartwheels in the parking lot. I was very, very excited and that’s how I felt every day for 35 years,” she said.
Dory trained with Environment Canada for nearly nine years to learn the craft of forecasting weather in the region.
“It was a pleasure to work with Dory because she’s one of those people that she did her work and you never had to worry about what she was doing and if she was going to show up,” said Terry Vogt, CTV Lethbridge’s former news director who worked with Dory for 35 years.
“She was just so professional and I was amazed at all the things she could do and the amount of work she did and the contributions she made to the community in every way.”
Serving her community
Giving back to the community she calls home is one of Rossiter’s top priorities in life.
She has served on 60 different boards and committees for organizations, non-profits, post-secondary institutions and more in Lethbridge.
She spent hours MCing community events, helping fundraisers for different causes and representing CTV Lethbridge in the community.
“Dory is a true champion for the charitable sector,” said Charleen Davidson, executive director of the Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwest Alberta.
“The biggest gift she brings outside of her time and her talent is the media coverage she was able to bring every organization she served on during her time with CTV.”
Outside of the TV studio, Rossiter visited more than 200 classrooms during her career to share how weather information is gathered.
Through her weekly feature “Dory’s Story,” she has told thousands of stories about people, places and things that make Lethbridge special.
“Dory was the face of CTV in the community, but she was also the face of the community for many organizations. So, she worked for dozens of groups, volunteering and helping to raise funds, working on the boards and that sort of thing,” said Vogt.
“If those community groups are the lifeblood of southern Alberta, then Dory was sort of the beating heart of southern Alberta and Lethbridge.”
Her dedication to the community led to numerous achievements and recognitions.
For her work, she has received:
- The Kings Charles III Coronation Medal;
- Legion Medal for Service;
- Government of Canada Community Builders Award;
- Two keys to the City of Lethbridge;
- Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal;
- Alberta Centennial Medal;
- The Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award;
- The Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteerism;
- Citizen of the Year from the City of Lethbridge;
- The YWCA Women of Distinction Award; and
- The Volunteer of the Year Award from the University of Lethbridge.
Her work in media has garnered provincial awards from St. John Ambulance, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Alberta Tourism, the Canadian Mental Health Association and the Premier’s Council Award of Excellence in Public Awareness for reporting on persons with disabilities.
In 2023, Rossiter was awarded the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2022, Rossiter was sworn into her new role as Honorary Lieutenant Colonel of the 20th Independent Field Battery in Lethbridge in honour of her father, Doc, who served with the armed forces for 35 years.
“She is a perfect fit for the role,” said retired brigadier general Ray Romses, with the Canadian Armed Forces.
“She’s well known in the community, very good communicator and she’s really the link between the unit and Lethbridge.”
‘Try to make someone smile’
Those that worked alongside Rossiter say she carried those skills everywhere she went.
“She always had this amazing open-door policy,” said Kaella Doty, a former CTV Lethbridge reporter who worked with Dory for 18 years.
“She’s warm, she’s caring and I’m so happy for her because she gave so much for this community and for this station, for this city; she deserves this retirement.”
Throughout the years, Rossiter has been a mentor and friend to hundreds of journalists.
While her calm, professional presence on TV was known by many, those who worked with her say she wasn’t afraid to put herself out there and try new things.
“My favourite memories were when we were live on location for Whoop-Up Days,” Doty recalled.
“One time in particular, she rode the reverse bungee, which shot her and Jacquie (Scantlebury) way up in the air; she had no hesitation, her necklace flew up in her face.
“Every single time we watch that, we’re crying laughing, and she just never said no to a good time and I love that side of her, and I was happy to see that side of her.”
The same sentiment was felt by Vogt.
“At the airshow one year, they came in and offered me the chance to do some skydiving and I said no because I’m not into heights,” Vogt laughed.
“But I said Dory will do it, and she did. I don’t know if she enjoyed it, but she often talks about it whenever I see her. She might’ve not enjoyed it, but it had a lasting impression on her.”
In January, Rossiter underwent a successful spinal surgery and while she’s recovering well, she has decided to step away from her weather duties.
She’ll continue to be a part of several organizations on their boards and committees, MCing events and singing with her musical groups, Horizon and The Travellin’ Will-Dorys, throughout the community.
Rossiter says she’s not “retiring,” simply “redistributing” her time.
“If there’s any message that I can take away from 35 years of, not only doing the weather, but more importantly to me, doing community work is to be kind to each other,” she said.
“Life is short; try to make someone smile. It doesn’t cost you anything and you get a lot back in return.”
