This year marks the 50th anniversary of a hobby my dad started when he was 60 years old, so it seemed appropriate to engage in this labor of love now to honor his years of impeccable work.
This task was an easy one to procrastinate, but the time had come to just do it. I've transferred my father's daily weather observations from their old, musty, three-ring binders to acid-free plastic sleeves and a brand new binder, to preserve them for many more years to come.
I was only five years old when Dad took up this new hobby, so I don't have a lot of answers as to what inspired him to start.
I do know that he somehow came into possession of a WCCO Radio Weather Almanac 1975, but whether he ordered it from a radio or television ad or if it was given to him as a Christmas gift are questions probably lost to history.
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| This was the almanac that started my dad's new hobby from age 60 to the end of his life. |
Knowing my dad, he read the almanac, looked at the "Weather Record Form" at the back of the book and decided this would be something fun to do. He started recording daily weather observations on January 1, 1975, using the form in the almanac.
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| The first month of a 248 month journey. |
He eventually modified his recordings and made his own forms from tablet paper for the next 20+ years.
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| Dad's weather records are now safely protected in new plastic sheets. |
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| The transferring process was tedious, but worth it. 176 separate pages! The folder in the upper half of the picture are the original records. They were in pretty rough shape. |
I have very fond childhood memories of my dad sitting up every New Year's Eve, figuring out the year end averages and interesting facts like "days below zero" and "total inches of snow," as he compiled his year-long information. All of it was done by hand: no computers, no spreadsheets, no calculators, no fancy graphics. Just an ink pen, paper, colored pencils and a brilliant mind.
His last daily weather observation was August 31, 1996. As the months went by in 1996, his handwriting became visibly weaker as his body was slowly consumed by cancer. He noted next to August 31st, the number "7914."
After some thought, I realized this indicated the 7,914th straight day he had recorded his weather observations. I think it is profound that he took the time to note that fact. I also found it sad and, honestly, courageous. He knew it was time.
He passed away just six months later.
I am hoping this story has a happy ending. I have Dad's records from the years 1975-1981 and 1989-1996. But I am completely missing his records from 1982 to 1988. I am also missing all of his "year end" reports. I know for a fact these exist and I have no doubt they are tucked away in a three-ringed binder somewhere, but everywhere I've searched, I've come up empty handed.
However, I will continue looking until the day I die. Like my father, I am persistent and committed. I will never give up the search!