Mr and Mrs Azskyman and Emma

To my closest friends and the community I grew up in, I am known simply as "the weatherman." My passion for weather, and those thousands of others who enjoy it, define who I am. You can't truly understand me...without having your head in the clouds. Born and raised in Belvidere, Illinois, in 1946...I have a degree in Earth Science from Northern Illinois University. My wife Kathy is a survivor of the 1967 F4 Belvidere tornado...having been picked up in a car and hurled to the ground twice as it took the lives of 24 mostly young people and injured more than 450. I've spent my adult life as a teacher...and for 25 years managing various printing operations in Illinois and now here in Phoenix, Arizona. I kept a continuous 23 year record of weather while back in Illinois...and was given NOAA official observer status in the 1990's. Also was cofounder of the Association of American Weather Observers back in 1983...a group that first gathered in New Jersey in its inaugural year. I was editor of the American Weather Observer from 1983 through 1997. Still active in weather, I am a member of the National Weather Association (where I was once electec councilor) and the American Association of State Climatologists.

None of these things compare in importance to the smile on the face of a person who truly finds the study of weather to be a source of enjoyment and fulfillment. If I can encourage that in even the smallest way, I consider all these efforts to be worthwhile.

Incidentally, Emma, our granddaughter (born 8-6-2002) is also in the photo and is a great source of pride and joy too. She resides in California with her mom and dad. I have two grown sons...neither of whom are weather enthusiasts but who can awe their friends with words like "mammatus" and "rain shaft."