Thomas Jefferson Award 

Michael “Stretch” Overturf of Clay Center 6ESE, NE was presented the prestigious Thomas Jefferson Award at the American Legion in Sutton, Nebraska.

Mike Overturf and Marla Doxey

It was an honor to present Mike with this award as he has been an exceptional cooperative observer since July 1978. From July 1978 through the end of September 2016, he had taken 13,595 observations, with no missing observations during that period. Not missing an observation hasn’t been without its challenges. Mike recalls going out on crutches to read the precipitation after 2 different knee surgeries. He also had major heart surgery a few years ago. As a testament of their true dedication to the duty, he and his family made sure no data was missed during these challenging times.

The presentation started with Marla K Doxey, Data Acquisition Program Manager at the NWS office in Hastings, providing background information on the Thomas Jefferson Award. She also explained exactly what qualities the selection committee looked at when they selected a recipient for this award. Only 5 outstanding observers are selected from across the nation each year. It is the highest award a Cooperative Observer can receive from the National Weather Service.

Mike's Cake	Thomas Jefferson Award Coaster

Mike’s dedication has resulted in the measurement of 1024.43 inches of precipitation and 925.7 inches of snowfall. The wettest year was 1993 with 44.67 inches and was the all-time wettest year dating back to 1915. His driest year was 1988 with only 17.20 inches. The season with the most snow was 1983-1984 with 55.0 inches of snow. Mike measured the least amount of snow in 1999-2000 when only 8 inches of snow fell all season.

Telling Stories

Mike recalled that “back in the day”, when he first started as an observer, he had to call the Weather Service collect when he had precipitation to report. Personnel would hesitate to accept the call and ask, “Do you work for the Weather Service?” Now he enters his data through an interactive phone program called IV-ROCS. In 1995 the Hastings WFO took over responsibility for the cooperative observers in our area. Mike soon became one of our favorites as he would provide other valuable weather information along with a pleasant chat. Being a Storm Spotter, he knew to give precise information, each and every time. Mike is known for calling us all hours of the day and night to report hazardous weather events, such as: damaging winds, heavy rain and snow, blizzard conditions, large hail and tornadoes. There have been times when you could hear the hail hitting his truck as he called in his report.  He is also a Storm Spotter instructor at the US Meat Animal Research Center, where he has been a research technician for the past 47 years. Mike taught Hunter Safety classes to area youth for nearly 30 years.

Mike - "Back in the Day"	"Tornado Alarm"

Mike has truly seen and experienced the weather extremes in Nebraska. For instance, in 1990, a tornado passed near their farm twisting a tree, which became known as the “Tornado Tree”. Interestingly, it continues to stand to this day, even though trees next to it have been damaged or uprooted from tornadoes.   

The citation on the Jefferson Award read “For your superior service in reporting precipitation and snow depth from Clay Center, Nebraska. Your willingness to work with agricultural officials on rainfall data for drought and flood programs exemplifies an outstanding ethic among cooperative observers”, which only touches a small part of the true dedication Mike has to his weather reports, his family and his friends. 

Steve Eddy presenting the award to Mike	State Senator John Kuehn with Mike and Marla

State Senator John Kuehn expounded on his relationship with Mike while working at the MARC. Throughout the years Mike was the perfect employee; always thinking of others; doing what needed to be done before being asked; a true and model public servant to his community.

Jerad Reimers, representing Congressman Adrian Smith, spoke of how important it was to recognize the work and accomplishment of people like Mike and how important the information they provided was to Nebraska and its economy.

A letter from Natalie Umphlett (High Plains Climate Center) thanked Mike for his precise reports for the past 38 years. She noted that it is reports like his that help create a climate record for his area. She also noted the truly exceptional fact that there are no missing observations in Mike’s record!

Letters from Governor Pete Ricketts and Senator Deb Fischer also congratulated Mike on his outstanding work as a Cooperative Observer for Nebraska.

Meteorologist in Charge, Steve Eddy presented Mike with the Thomas Jefferson Award, along with a letter from Chris Strager, Central Region Director.   

Mike with his wife Sandy, his granddaughter Madison, his daughter Anne, and Meteorologist in Charge Steve Eddy

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