FLINT, MI -- Flint resident Donna Groves and Grand Blanc resident Jackie Bowles are integral to the history of the famous weather ball that sits atop FirstMerit Bank’s downtown Flint office at 328 S. Saginaw St.
Related: FirstMerit hosts ceremonial weather ball lighting with first woman to light ball, jingle composer
In 1956, Groves – who worked as a frame girl for Michigan Bell – became the first person to flip the switch to illuminate the then-Citizens Commercial & Savings Bank weather ball.
In 1964, almost eight years after the weather ball was first lit atop the bank's downtown Flint headquarters, Bowles took it upon herself to put music to the classic weather ball poem and make it into a song. The song was played hundreds of times on local television and radio stations in Mid-Michigan.
On Wednesday, Nov. 20, the two women met for the first time as FirstMerit held a ceremonial first lighting of the ball following the letter change from "CB" to "FM."
Groves once again flipped a switch to light the weather ball, and Bowles – accompanied by her son Mar Bowles on the guitar – led the crowd of nearly 200 FirstMerit employees and community leaders in singing the old Citizens weather ball jingle that used to be broadcast across the region.