A life Story

A life Story

Early Years

I am a native of Navasota, Texas. Houston is located approximately 75 miles southeast of Navasota, and Texas A&M University in College Station is located about 20 miles to the northwest. Navasota was, and is, a quiet little community of about 5,500 people. My Texas accent has not diminished much over the years. Navasota was a good place in which to grow up during the 50's and 60's. It had a small town atmosphere in which everyone knew everyone else. Farming, ranching, and supporting activities were the livelihoods of most people. My mother ran a beauty shop, and my father was the distributor of the Houston Post newspaper in Navasota; so he had to get up at 2 AM every morning. He died when I was fourteen, and my mother died in 1999. I am an only child.

The BWB I was a very nerdy kid—great in science and math, but very poor in any kind of sports. I always was picked last for teams at recess because I truly was the worst. I became interested in meteorology when I was in the fifth grade. My teacher started a paper back book-of-the-month club, and one month I ordered “Oliver Becomes a Weatherman”. I really got turned on by the weather and stuck with it ever since. I also founded the Bobie Weather Bureau (BWB) while in grade school. (Bobie is my nickname, but no body around Tallahassee will call me that—even though I have asked some to do so.)

School Days

I graduated from Navasota High School in 1966 as salutatorian of my class. That distinction was not as impressive as it might sound because there were only 62 students in my class. I received a four year scholarship to Texas A&M University and began during summer 1966. A&M had a pretty rough and tumble reputation back then, and I was scared I was not up to the task—either academically or personally. Although the Corps of Cadets was a dominant influence on campus, I was not a member. Since A&M was so close (20 miles), and since we had very little money, I commuted to Aggieland each day. I was always in car pools, and it worked out pretty well. My fears about TAMU were unfounded. I did well academically, making the Dean's List every semester. I graduated with a B.S. in meteorology in May 1970 and immediately began graduate school.

Living in St. Louis

My first real job was at Saint Louis University (SLU). I moved myself up there in a U-Haul during summer 1977 and lived in a high rise apartment directly across campus. Oh, was that a change for this country guy!! However, SLU was a great place for me to begin my academic career. SLU is a Jesuit (Catholic) school, and the atmosphere was quite pleasant. Our department was very small, only 5 faculty in meteorology, and not very many students either. Being small has its pros and cons. However, our small size meant we were ...