ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I first want to thank my family.
Without my mom, Susan Tolbert, there is no way I would be a storm chaser today, let alone a meteorologist making a living, doing what I love, every tornado and hurricane season. As a science teacher with a masters degree in geology, my mom introduced me to science before I knew how to read. While most parents would discourage their children from pursuing a career with little earning potential, my mom has always been supportive and taught me that doing what you love is the only thing that should matter. Ill forever be thankful for a mom who not only always has been there for me, but also encouraged me to follow my passion in everything I do.
Id also like to thank my sisters, Cortney and Dayna, who have been incredible friends. Dayna was like a younger brother while growing up, catching insects and snakes with me when most neighbor kids were deathly afraid of the things we would pull out of the woods in our backyard. My older sister, Cortney, played a huge role in my interest in weather. Few are passionate enough about weather to record all The Weather Channels local forecast songs on tapeand that was my sister. Im actually very surprised she didnt end up as a storm chaser, too!
Though my relationship with my dad was limited after my parents divorce, I would like to thank him for being hugely supportive in the last several years. I am so proud that he went on a storm chase with me in 2004 when he had no idea what to expect, and very grateful that he helped make the Dominator a reality when most people thought the idea was insane.
I am very grateful to everyone at the University of Oklahoma.
I want to thank my masters and thesis adviser, Dr. Peter Lamb, who taught me not only the process of scientific research but attention to detail and general professionalism. Dr. Lamb also put up with my constant storm chasing over the years when he could have easily found another research assistant with more grounded and less demanding interests. Without Dr. Lambs patience and guidance in both my professional and personal life, there is no way I would even be close to where I am today as a scientist and a storm chaser. Ill be forever indebted to Dr. Lamb and always will have the utmost respect for him as not only one of the most accomplished climatologists of our time, but also as a person. One of these days Ill finally convince him to come along on a chase in the Dominator!
There is no way I would have completed all of my school and research obligations at the University of Oklahoma while storm chasing without Dr. Lambs secretary and assistant, Luwanda Byrd. When it came time to turn in assignments, Id often be storm chasing 1,000 miles away from campus and Luwanda would always cover for me.
I also want to thank some of my amazing professors at the University of Oklahoma School of MeteorologyDoctors Lance Leslie, Howie Bluestein, Michael Richman, Brian Fiedler, and Jeff Basara. All of these professors shared their passion for the science of meteorology and conveyed their immense knowledge to their students, myself included. Despite their groundbreaking accomplishments in the field and ongoing important research projects, they always put forth the maximum amount of effort and care in teaching their classes and grooming the next generation of meteorologists for the real word.
I also need to thank Dr. Andrew Mercer, who is one of my best friends, and probably the most skilled meteorologist Ive ever known. Andrew and I always sat next to each other during undergraduate and especially demanding graduate classes at OU, and we often worked together on research projects, problem sets, and exam preparation. Andrew helped me catch up after missed classes when I was off chasing tornadoes. He was much better than I was at juggling storm chasing and graduate school, so its not a surprise that hes already finished his Ph.D. and is teaching at Mississippi State University, while Im still grinding away at mine!
John Esterheld, James Rogers, and Don Giuliano were my officemates during graduate school. Now Don and John are both working with me on TornadoVideos.net, running the business. Without these guys as friends and officemates, graduate school would not have been nearly as enjoyable.
I, of course, want to thank everyone else at TornadoVideos.net:
Joel Taylor has been my storm-chasing partner for the last decade. Joel is the only friendand probably the only human beingwho would still ride in the same vehicle with me after some of our most dangerous and daring storm chases. He has put up with my constant excitement and intensity, which Im sure can get pretty damn annoying after a while, especially when we are basically living in our vehicle every tornado and hurricane season. Joel was always supportive of TornadoVideos.net and my effort to make a living as a storm chaser when everyone else close to me said it was impossible and a waste of time. As youve read here, weve had our ups and downs over the years, but I cant put into words how loyal and supportive Joel has been. Hes irreplaceable as a best friend and storm-chasing partner. I wouldnt trust anyone else behind the wheel of the Dominator besides Joel Stretch Taylor.
Chris Chittick and I have been close friends since our high school summers working at Watermark Golf Club. Chris was always there for me, even if that meant risking our jobs to drive thirty-six hours straight from Michigan to Saskatchewan in a car without air-conditioning to chase marginal tornado setups. In 2000, Chris dropped everything in Michigan, including a well-paying job and a girlfriend, to move to Norman, Oklahoma, and become my partner in a very risky, and likely unprofitable, business venturestorm chasing.
Id also like to thank Heidi Farrar and Dave Demko, my business partners who keep TornadoVideos.net afloat. They are the hardest workers on the planet, and are also incredibly supportive friends. Both work day and night to keep our business and research moving forward, and there is no way I could do all this without them.
Dick McGowan is one of the best still photographers of tornadoes and anything related to nature Ive ever known. Dick provided several of the amazing storm-chasing photos youve seen in this book, and participated in Discovery Channels Storm Chasers this past season as the trusted driver of our follow-vehicle, the sole purpose of which is to capture the shot of the Dominator driving into the tornado.
Without Dave Holder I would not have seen my first Canadian tornado. Dave was the only friend insane enough to drive from Oklahoma to Saskatchewan and Manitoba for this chase, sacrificing his Hyundai Accent to make the trip happen. Dave is now a trusted guide for our storm-chasing tour company, Extreme Tornado Tours.
I want to thank everyone at Discovery, especially Bill Howard, George Neighbors, Josh Weinberg, Kirk Denkler, and Michael Haas.
Last, this book would not exist without the support of a few key people.
My literary agent, Lisa Grubka, and her coworkers at Foundry Literary + Media made this book possible. Lisa supported the storm-chasing concept from the beginning, and has gone well beyond what is expected of her as an agent to make Into the Storm the best book possible. Id also like to thank Tia Maggini, who introduced me to Lisa, the best literary agent in the world.
I would also like to thank my editor, Carrie Thornton. When we first met with interested publishers about Into the Storm, Carrie stood out from the others by far, and we knew right away that she was the editor we wanted for the book. Her passion for producing the best product possible and her enthusiasm for the topic of storm chasing was very apparent during our first meeting, and even more so while working with her on this project. She would personally address any concerns or suggestions I had during the entire process, no matter how ridiculous they may have been, and her top priority has always been my satisfaction with the final product. Thank you, Carrie!
