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MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... July 25, 2014 July 25, 2014 July 25, 2014 July 25, 2014 Dr. Ken Crawford, Father of the Oklahoma Mesonet (1943-2014) http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20140725/Dr.Ken.Crawford.jpg Some 20+ years ago, I took a Hydrometeorology course from Dr. Crawford, the new Director of the Oklahoma Climatological Survey, OU Dept. of Meteorology professor and State Climatologist. Sixteen years ago, I marched into his office unannounced and said "I want to work for the Climate Survey." Fifteen years ago, after near weekly visits (I learned to get an appointment after that first one) to his office, he actually hired me. There are many things I admired about Dr. Crawford, whom I would later get enough courage to call "Ken" as one colleague to another. The first and foremost of which is that he would hire an Panhandle-bred Okie from amongst some of the best and brightest students the world has to offer to the atmospheric sciences. I'd like to think it was my persistence, but I suspect it was because I would talk Big 12 football with him (Ken was a lifelong and notorious Texas Longhorn fan, notorious in that there are few Texas Longhorn fans employed by OU). Here he is in his Texas regalia during one of the many "Red River Battles" he endured within his own office in early October each year. http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20140725/DSC00696.JPG But without a doubt, his greatest professional achievement was the creation and implementation of the Oklahoma Mesonet. Many of you probably don't know the back-story of how the Mesonet came to be, or that it was actually a spark of an idea from within Ken's brain after the deadly Tulsa Memorial Day flood of 1984. You can read a bit more about that in this Tulsa World story marking the 20th Anniversary of the Oklahoma Mesonet. http://tinyurl.com/tulsa-flood-sparks-OKMesonet So when you see a Mesonet map, or one of your Emergency Managers sounds an alert based off Mesonet data and the training the Mesonet provides, or if one of your children learns about the weather from one of the many Mesonet trained Oklahoma science teachers, remember ... it all started as a spark within one man's intellect 30 years ago in the midst of a tragedy. A Texas transplant that became the architect of arguably the most recognized and renowned meteorological observing network of its kind in the world. A great man, scientist, colleague, mentor and teacher, and an honorary "Texas Okie," Dr. Ken Crawford. Gary McManus State Climatologist Oklahoma Mesonet Oklahoma Climatological Survey (405) 325-2253 gmcmanus@mesonet.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Dr. Ken Crawford was the Director at the Oklahoma Climatological Survey from 1989 through 2009. While at OCS, he also served as the State Climatologist and Regents? Professor of Meteorology. Ken considered his most important accomplishment of his 20 years at OCS to be the development and implementation of the Oklahoma Mesonet, a joint program with Oklahoma State University. Ken was also an outstanding mentor for young scientists. He led the M.S. thesis and Ph. D. dissertation research of 37 students? more than any other meteorology faculty at OU. Through Ken?s research efforts, he was awarded over $40 Million in grants during his professional career. Before coming to OU, Ken had a 30-year career with the National Weather Service, culminating with his role as Meteorologist in Charge for Oklahoma between 1982 and 1989. After retiring from OU, Ken went on to be the Vice Administrator for the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). In his 3 years with the KMA, he improved training and tools for KMA forecasters and upgraded Korea to the world?s most advanced weather radar network. Ken touched the lives of countless staff and students, as well as K-12 teachers, emergency managers, and growers and producers across Oklahoma. He will be greatly missed."
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