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WHY STORMS?
One of the most common questions I am asked is "Why did you become a meteorologist
and/or
storm chaser?" I was born in
Alva, Oklahoma but grew up in Norman,
Oklahoma in the shadow of the "Golf Ball" (the original
research Doppler radar at the National
Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL). Norman lies within the heart of "Chase
Alley" and my parents sent my sister and me to storm shelter
many times. I have always been fascinated by storms.
The turning point was a June evening back in 1979 when I was 10 years
old. My aunt and uncle were playing cards with my parents at our home
in northwest Norman. A
supercell thunderstorm formed in Kingfisher County and moved slowly
south-southeast across the western side of
Oklahoma City toward Norman.
I remember seeing the first tornado warnings on television and then going out to our backyard to watch the storm approach. The evening was breezy and the air was
muggy with a sense of excitement in the air. Initially, the storm was too far away to see. However, as it approached an incredible spectacle unfolded.
I went to our back patio door to warn everybody about the impending storm.
They gave me the normal "yea- yea, sure-sure," until I opened the
curtains to reveal a storm which resembled the
Mother Ship from the movie "Close
Encounters of the Third Kind." Their jaws dropped and that's when
they began to pay attention.
From that point on I've been hooked. I never even knew there was such
a thing as
storm chasing until I watched the PBS
NOVA "Tornado!"
episode while I was attending Norman
High School in 1985. That program was responsible for the development
of many new storm chasers.
NOVA created a new program called "Hunt
for the SuperTwister" in 2004. I wasn't even able to go storm
chasing until I was a freshman at the The
University of Oklahoma in Spring of 1987. Unfortunately, 1987 and
1988 were two of the worst years in history for storm chasers. I didn't
chase much and I didn't see much. However, things got more interesting
the next year.
In 1989, I worked at NSSL during the Initial Operations Testing and Evaluations
phase of the
WSR-88D Doppler Weather Radar. My job was as a radio communicator
between NSSL nowcasters in Norman and storm chase crews out in the field.
I didn't get to chase much, but my knowledge of storms grew exponentially
through interaction with my co-workers. Project members included Don Burgess,
Gene Rhoden,
Roger Edwards, Rich Thompson,
Dave Gold,
Greg Stumpf, Brian Curran, Gary Skaggs, Bill Conway and Arthur Witt.
It wasn't until 1990 that I experienced routine storm chase success.
Today I continue to study, chase and photograph storms. It is one thing to study weather in a textbook or on a computer. But, many meteorologists are simply lost
when it comes to real atmosphere. There is no substitute for the real thing.
I love virtually every aspect of storm chasing: Utilizing meteorology
skills to make the forecast;
the excitement and anticipation of the chase; the "Route
66" experience of the open highway; the ambiance of a big sky on the
Great Plains;
the history of the people on the Great Plains; meeting friends I only
see once a year at a lonely intersection in the middle of nowhere; the
sport of trying to predict how the storms will evolve; and the awesome
power, beauty, and ambiance of storms. If I have to explain any further
than this, you wouldn't understand.
CAREER
I graduated from The
University of Oklahoma (OU) in 1990 with a degree from the OU
School of Meteorology and joined the
National Weather Service (NWS) shortly thereafter. My NWS career took
me to: The Weather Service Meteorological Observatory in Monett,
Missouri; The
Weather Forecast Office in Des Moines, Iowa where I lived through
The Great Flood of 1993; The
Weather Forecast Office in Albuquerque, New Mexico where my wife's
extended family lives; and The WSR-88D Operational Support Facility/Training
Branch (now the Warning
Decision Training Branch) in Norman,
Oklahoma. I now live in Norman and commute to my current job at the
National Weather
Service Office at the FAA Academy in
Oklahoma City.
FAMILY
My family is the greatest joy in my life. I married my wife Tracy in 1995. We
have two daughters, Olivia and Julia.
 Clockwise
from top: (Tracy, Robert, Olivia, Julia Prentice (Christmas 2007)
FOR MY FATHER
Dad, Julia (6 months),
Olivia (1 yr 9 months); September 1998
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My father (Hallmark Home Builders) died suddenly of a heart attack on Sunday, February 21, 1999. He was 54.
This was a devastating loss for my family and the most difficult moment of my life. We were a very close family. My wife Tracy, our young daughters,
Olivia and Julia, and I lived on a small acreage across a fishing pond from my parents. Part of the reason we lived
there was to be close to them and our other relatives. He was the heart and soul in our lives.
My father's ancestors were some of the original 89'ers (settlers) during
the
Central Oklahoma Land Run of 1889. They built a home in southeast
Norman which is the oldest standing structure in Cleveland
County. Dad was buried with his ancestor's at Fairview-Maguire
Cemetery southeast of Norman.
Olivia and Julia, December 1998
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Dad was always giving of himself to others. He had requested that his organs be donated. One hundred and fifty four people were helped by his
donation.
Please give generously
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