NEW YORK CITY – Longtime TODAY show weatherman Al Roker received a key to New York City from Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday for his 70th birthday.
Roker was born and raised in Queens and has worked for NBC’S TODAY for nearly 30 years.
Roker said he never imagined a kid from Queens would receive such an honor.
“This is really special. I love this city and grew up here, my father worked as a New York bus driver in Brooklyn. I am so blessed and lucky.”
Mayor Adams called Roker “a morning institution” in the homes of New Yorkers and Americans across the country.
“Al, a kid from Queens, worked his way up the corporate ladder to become the defining weatherman of his generation, making the leap from local newscasts to living rooms across the country. We experienced everything from Macy’s Thanksgiving parades to the Olympics to the breaking news that defined our generation, right along with Al. Today we celebrate an iconic New Yorker who taught us ‘what’s happening in our neighborhood,'” Adams said.
“It is an honor to present the key to the city to America’s Weatherman.”
The key to the city of New York was first awarded in 1702 by New York Mayor Phillip French when he offered “honorary citizenship of the city” to Viscount Edward Cornbury, Governor of New York and New Jersey.
The Key to the City of New York is a beloved symbol of civic recognition and gratitude and is reserved for individuals who have achieved the highest level of achievement through their service to the public and the common good, officials said.
