Hurricane Pioneer

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Hurricane Pioneer

Memoirs of Bob Simpson
Robert H. Simpson
Neal Dorst
Copyright: 2015
ISBN: 978-1-935704-75-1
List Price: $25.00
Member Price: $20.00
Student Price: $20.00

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Title information

Pages: 156
Language: English
Publisher: American Meteorological Society
Edition: First
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In 1951, Robert (Bob) Simpson rode a plane directly into the wall of a hurricane—just one of his many pioneering explorations. Bob and his wife Joanne are meteorological icons, particularly with respect to tropical meteorology: Bob was the first director of the National Hurricane Research Project in the late 1950s, and a director of the National Hurricane Center (1967–1974). Along with Herbert Saffir, Bob was the creator of the widely used Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale; today, the public knows well his Categories 1–5. He is an Honorary Member of the American Meteorological Society, the highest honor that is bestowed by the Society.

Bob’s memoirs cover his adventurous early life in Texas, including his family’s encounter with the Corpus Christi hurricane of 1919, just one experience that proved formative. Later, his training and work (including being one of the first scientists to fly directly into the eye of a hurricane) took him far and wide to domestic and international centers of meteorological study right at the time the science was developing. In his career, Bob intersected with other paragons who would become fellow pioneers in a host of specialties and roles in the weather enterprise at large. He is truly one of the greats.

Proceeds from this book help support the American Meteorological Society's K. Vic Ooyama Scholarship Fund.

 

Table of Contents                

1 My Early Life   

2 My College Years  

3 My Early Career    

4 E arly Hurricane Studies       

5 Weather Bureau Headquarters      

6 The National Hurricane Research Project 

7 My Doctorate and stormfury                     

8 The National Hurricane Center                   

9 The University of Virginia, Simpson Weather Associates, and Retirement

Photos                                                    

Career Positions and Achievements          

Publications            

Robert H. Simpson

Robert H. Simpson was the first director of the National Hurricane Research Project and a former director of the National Hurricane Center. Along with Herbert Saffir, he was also the creator of the widely used Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale (Categories 1-5).

Neal Dorst

Neal Dorst began his career at the National Hurricane Research Laboratory as a scientific illustrator. He is currently a research meteorologolist at NHRL, as well as the Hurricane Research Division’s data archivist and unofficial historian.