VETERAN SUBACIO WEATHER OBSERVER
RECEIVES NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RECOGNITION

NOAA’s National Weather Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, will present its John Campanius Holm Award to veteran weather observer Brother Anselm Allen, a monk at the Benedictine Abbey in Subiaco, Ark. Each year, the prestigious Holm Award is presented to 25 people who have performed exceptional volunteer service as a weather observer. Brother Anselm will be honored November 13 in a ceremony at the Performing Arts Center at the Abbey in Subiaco.

“Brother Anselm and the other recipients all share a common bond of dedication to their communities, the NOAA National Weather Service and the nation,” said Bill Proenza, director of the NOAA National Weather Service, Southern Region. “Their commitment to excellence in the performance of their observation duties is worthy of special recognition.”

A cooperative observer since 1965, Brother Anselm has the longest tenure since Benedictine Monks began taking weather observations at the Abbey 105 years ago. During the last 38 years, the Weather Forecast Office (WFO) in Little Rock has come to rely heavily on his observation reports - which are characterized by their accuracy and timeliness.

Brother Anselm recently underwent knee replacement surgery and anticipates additional surgery. He has always made arrangements to have someone else take and report observations when he was unable to do it himself.

He is also a HAM radio operator and has been active in the HAM radio weather net. HAM radio operators provide a valuable service to the National Weather Service whenever severe weather occurs in Arkansas.

The National Weather Service’s Cooperative Observer Program began approximately 100 years ago. Today, more than 11,000 dedicated observers across the nation continue the tradition of service that has provided the United States with an unparalleled record of historical climatological data.

Created in 1959, the Holm Award is named for a Lutheran minister, John Campanius Holm. Holm is the first person known to have taken systematic weather observations in the American Colonies. Working without instruments, Holm made his observations at a site near Wilmington, Del. from 1644 to 1645.

NOAA’s National Weather Service is the primary source of weather data, forecasts and warnings for the United States and its territories. The National Weather Service operates the most advanced weather and flood warning and forecast system in the world, helping to protect lives and property and enhance the national economy.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources.

On the Web:

NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov

NOAA National Weather Service: http://www.nws.noaa.gov

NOAA Weather Service Cooperative Observer Program: http://weather.gov/om/coop/become.htm