Sly, Then Brian, and Now Gary England

For a long stretch, Seiling, Oklahoma’s Gary England was the most famous meteorologist in the world. If you saw the movie “Twister,” you saw him at work. You might have seen one of his four books or a program he was involved in. For weather issues, he was THE dude. Three Emmys to boot! And a marriage of 63 years.

If you lived in Oklahoma from 1971 until his retirement in 2013, Gary England was an understood part of your life, your meteorological north star. He was the country boy (and Navy man) with the Doppler and all the coolest new weather toys. He was the guy who talked like you and knew his stuff. He taught us all how to cope with tornadoes. (Lowest level, center of the house, and get down.) My favorite bit of advice I heard one night: “You kids, if you’re home alone, put on your football helmet.” He was calm and reassuring.

His Friday weather segments began with, "It’s Friday night in the big town,” which quickly became an expression we all used, sometimes in jest, though not all of us had that twinkle in the eye that Gary had. From him, we learned about “gustnadoes,” “thunder snow,” “thunder boomers,” and what a “wintry mix” is. Being a meteorologist in Oklahoma means a lot of late nights and overtime. There he was, with his coffee mug, 100% engaged. Sometimes, he even took his jacket off.

Goodbye, Gary. I stayed with 9, and you kept me advised. I suspect you’ll need a new hobby in the afterlife.

(Oklahoman.com)