Phoning It In

Phoning It In

A retired poultry and dairy farmer who died on Jan. 9 at 103, Mr. Hendrickson was the nation’s longest-serving volunteer weather watcher.

His efforts helped chart the country’s meteorological history as it played out on the East End of Long Island from July 1, 1930, the day Mr. Hendrickson took his first reading, until this past September, when — more than 150,000 readings later — he put down his instruments, his rotary phone and his carbon paper and, on his 103rd birthday, reluctantly retired.

On the rare days that Mr. Hendrickson allowed himself a vacation — he and his first wife, Dorothea, won a trip to New Zealand in 1959, courtesy of the Hormel company, as a prize for having bought the one billionth can of Spam — a family member filled in for him.

via Kam-Yung Soh
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/18/nyregion/richard-g-hendrickson-who-recorded-the-weather-for-85-years-dies-at-103.html

Comments

  1. Cee ThornJanuary 17, 2016 at 9:10 PM

    Wow, they don't make em' like that any more. Dedication with a capital D! I too can smell when snow is on the way. :))

    ReplyDelete
  2. Paul ScollonJanuary 17, 2016 at 9:37 PM

    Connie Thornley there's a job opening you may be interested in!

    ReplyDelete

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