Al Bolton

Al Bolton (October 24, 1925 – April 2, 2014) was an American television and radio meteorologist from Shreveport, Louisiana.

Al Bolton was born Albert Martin Bolton on October 24, 1925, in Alexandria, Louisiana, to Roscoe C. and Merle Martin Bolton.

After completing his high school education in Alexandria in June 1942, he enrolled at Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, where he was accepted into the U.S. Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps and was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. While at Tulane, he was called to duty in the U.S. Navy and served aboard the destroyer, U.S.S. Hart, in the western and southwestern Pacific Theater in the Second World War. He returned home and completed his education at Louisiana College, Pineville, Louisiana in July 1949. He then returned to duty and served aboard the aircraft carrier, U.S.S. Rendova, during the Korean War.

In February 1954, he relocated to Shreveport, Louisiana, becoming the first weather presenter for KSLA TV, (an affiliate of the CBS television network,) one month after the station went on the air. While working with KSLA, he was cited in August 1970 by the Shreveport National Weather Service with The Weather Service Centennial Award for weather services to the community in reporting weather to the public in commemoration of the National Weather Service's Century of Service, 1870 to 1970.

After working with KSLA for nearly 36 years, Bolton became a weather reporter for the local radio station KRMD (AM) from May 1991 to December 2001. 

From these positions and his widespread civic activities, Bolton gained wide recognition throughout Northwest Louisiana, as well as neighboring counties in East Texas and Southwest Arkansas. He also wrote for a local seniors publication and from 1990 to 2005, he was the "Voice of the Shreveport Metropolitan Concert Band".

Bolton was a member of Broadmoor Baptist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana.

• In October 1982, Bolton received the National Weather Association Seal of Certification for "performance well above the media and meteorological standards."
• In May 1983, he received the American Meteorological Society Seal of Approval for Television Weathercasting.
• In July 1990, Ernest Ethridge, an official in charge of the Shreveport National Weather Service office, presented Bolton with a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Special Service Award in recognition and appreciation for services rendered from 1954 to 1990.
• In February 1999, Bolton received a Lifetime Membership award from Optimist International for his 33 years of service in the Optimist Club of Shreveport, Inc.

Bolton was married to his wife Sandra Walker Bolton.

Bolton passed away on April 2, 2014, in Shreveport, Louisiana, at the age of 88. He is buried at Forest Park Cemetery in Shreveport. His honorary pallbearers included Robert Madison "Bob" Griffin (born August 1934), KSLA's longtime sports editor who came to the station in 1961 when Don Owen and Bolton were still in their early years in the field.