For most of his adult life Charleston resident Dalias Price has been learning about and teaching weather without a textbook.

He’s seen tornadoes, thousands of thunderstorms, cloudy days and rainy days. Whether the day is partly cloudy or mostly sunny, his attitude toward the weather he watches endlessly calls for a 100 percent chance of sunshine.

While the weather is constantly changing, his attitude toward it hasn’t.

“I just have a lifelong love of teaching weather,” Price, 89, said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to continue it.”

His love of weather began 68 years ago in a classroom at the University of Illinois. One meteorology class and Price was hooked.

In 1938, he wrote a masters thesis on the climate of Illinois, which can be found at the university’s library in the rare book collection.

“It’s an honor to know that that is something they want to keep forever,” Price said.

And Price’s passion for weather isn’t something that will go away any time soon. Each day he checks the weather station in his back yard and records the temperature, precipitation, wind, barometric pressure and other levels at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. He reports his findings to the National Weather Service.

In between reports Price settles bets about weather, fields calls from cops to settle traffic cases and gives speeches and weather lessons to anyone who will listen.

Most do, regardless of age.

“I went and spoke to a fourth grade class about how to check a rain gauge,” Price said. “One little boy was curious and wondered if that’s all I knew about the weather. He wanted to know more.”

When big weather events happen, Price is ready.

He’ll field phone calls from anyone who wants to talk about the events of the skies. He’s settled countless bets about record temperatures and has argued with many residents about the accuracy of their thermometer, teaching meteorological lessons each time.

“Some time ago when a bank first put up a sign with the time and temperature, the temperature was way off and a reporter called me about it,” Price said. “I thought about it and I figured the temperature was off because of all the cold hard cash they had. I went into the bank the next day and they said ‘we were worried that you’d mention our frozen assets.'”

His face may be weathered, but his passion for studying the heavens has never wavered.

“I could see progress all through my career, small at times, but all the while it kept improving and improving,” Price said. “It doesn’t surprise me at all that we are where we are now.”

But Price won’t use any of the sophisticated computer equipment for his studies. His weather station is nearly unaltered from when he transplanted it to his backyard after he retired from Eastern in 1980.

His records are all hand-written and only until recently did his weather station update to automatic gauges. He no longer has to go outside to check the station, but usually does.

One of his four sons bought him a computer after he complained about not being able to stay in touch with Price’s busy life.

His seven grandchildren and four children are sharing the passion for weather he has despite being in different fields and locations. He said when his grandchildren visit they are anxious to help him check the weather station.

But when his grandchildren grow up, Price insisted computers wouldn’t take over in meteorology. They can help predict, but the human element is still needed to complete it.

“I asked someone at the National Weather Service that when they came to celebrate my 40th anniversary of working with them, although it was two years late,” Price said. “They said computers would never supersede humans. We’ll persevere.”

Price’s record-keeping work in Charleston dates back to 1900, but all of his records are hand written, when most are stored on computers.

“I am hoping that the library will take them or they will be put to good use somewhere after I’m gone,” he said. “I feel very fortunate to have lived a life that I thoroughly enjoyed and I love teaching very much and I have been able to keep correspondence with students all around.”