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I will never forget the gift Harry Volkman gave me

This morning I woke up to some sad news. One of the legends of television weather is no longer with us. Even before there was “Skilling,” there was ...

This morning I woke up to some sad news. One of the legends of television weather is no longer with us. Even before there was "Skilling," there was "Volkman." Harry Volkman was one of the first weather forecasters on television, period. He started work at WOTV in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1950, a year after the television station went on the air. Considering that most of today's television stations didn't go on the air until the mid 1950s, he was indeed a pioneer. He ignored a government warning in the 1950s by giving Oklahoma a "tornado warning" on the air, possibly saving many lives. In 1959, he moved to Chicago and worked at various stations. He was a favorite of my grandparents in the early days of television. He worked in the market through 2004 and died of an illness yesterday.

Harry Volkman worked at WFLD-TV, Fox32 when I met him. I was living in DeKalb, Illinois attending Northern Illinois University in 1996...a young guy with a lot to learn. I was among a group of friends who traveled to Chicago (on a school night I think) and were walking into a Baker's Square restaurant well after midnight. As we were led to our table, we passed a table of one. I looked at the man eating his breakfast and it was none other than THE Harry Volkman! We got to our table and I announced "That's Volkman, everybody!" No one was into weather and everyone gave me that "Who cares?" look.

I mustered up the guts to walk up to his table and carefully said "Hello." He invited me to sit across from him at the booth and we talked about the weather. I remember his smile as I was talking about my love of Meteorology and my anticipation of the career of Broadcast Meteorologist. I like to think I am just as gracious when people come up to me these days. In the few minutes I had with Harry, he gave me so much encouragement to follow my dream. He shared stories about his years in television. It would take years before I understood the pioneer he was. As a young pup in the business, I hardly understood any of it back then. But it all sank in over the next few years.

The most important advice I received from Harry was to be myself. He told me to never allow the business of television to interfere with the fact I am a good forecaster and a great person. And that was just how he was on the air and off. He was one of the best! My friend, Tom Skilling talks about Harry being a mentor to him growing up. And I can see a lot of Harry in Tom. Tom is one of the most gracious, down-to-earth Meteorologists out there. Proof that your spirit can live on in the lives of others after you're gone.

After a while, I bet our meeting faded in Harry's memory, but it will never leave me.  Had I known how much there was to learn, I would’ve sat at his table a lot longer that night.

My thoughts go out to his family, friends, and fellow colleagues who are missing him today.

-Meteorologist Eric Sorensen

Click here for KFOR-TV video as Harry recalls issuing the first Tornado Warning for Oklahoma City back in the 1950s.

WGN-TV has some exemplary coverage including thoughts from my friend Tom Skilling on what it means to lose his mentor.
Photos courtesy of WGN-TV:

I will never forget the gift Harry Volkman gave me

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