Words And Wisdom From Columbia County's Own Deborah Roberts and Al Roker

Rachel Louchen reports from Chatham. It was quite appropriate to meet America’s most famous weatherman on the coldest night of the year. As the Polar Vortex knocked temperatures down to eight below, Al Roker and his wife, Deborah Roberts happily greeted residents and signed copies of their new book Been There, Done That: Family Wisdom For Modern Times on Saturday, Feb. 13 at The Chatham Bookstore. Married 20 years, parents of three and news correspondents on NBC and ABC respectively, Roker and Roberts live nearby in what Roker calls “the anti-Hamptons." He has written nine books on his own, but this is Deborah's first, and although they were hesitant to put their marriage and family out into public view, they soon relished the opportunity to spend so much time together. The book is a compilation of what they've learned over the years in their personal and professional lives, with chapters about their different childhoods, Deborah's in the segregated South and Al's in Queens, N.Y., the strong influence of their parents, and the importance of listing to their children. The attendance was so strong and the room was so packed that the gregarious authors were slightly surprised, since their own son had quipped that maybe no one would show up because of the cold. Roberts and Roker showed their appreciation, speaking with the crowd and answering questions for an hour, telling hilarious stories and charming attendees with their rapport.

Despite their jobs on rival networks ("our children have a special coming out on Fox," deadpanned Roker), the authors enjoyed working on a shared project together.