KATC Chief Meteorologist Rob Perillo is the recipient of this year's John Coleman Broadcast Award from the National Tropical Weather Conference.
The National Tropical Weather Conference held in South Padre Island, Texas, is the nation's forum for professional training in hurricane preparedness for media and business.
There, Rob was awarded the John Coleman Broadcast Award. He posted to his social media pages saying he was honored to receive the award .
His statement is below:
"I'm shocked, humbled and honored that my colleagues have voted to give me this prestigious award...I am truly grateful for just having the opportunity to be a broadcast meteorologist for an area I love, and for a community I am rooted in.
Broadcast meteorologists, as I have learned over the decades, become community advocates and take personally how best to serve our consumers of critical weather and science information that impact our lives. We try to aspire to the National Weather Service mantra "to protect life and property"...and hopefully we have all learned something more about weather, hurricanes, climate and our environment along the way.
As a kid, John Coleman was my weather hero...he was a trailblazer in TV weather presentation and the founder of the Weather Channel...he, along with my parents, helped foster my love of meteorology...but I thought that I could never be an on-air meteorologist...all I wanted to do was to study weather and be a forecaster.
To receive an award bearing John's namesake is just incredible...and still, I feel I don't deserve this!
You never know the road you will ultimately travel...it can be a circuitous route...but it's been more like an adventurous journey of continuous learning.
I want to thank my colleagues and mentors that have brought me along the way, including Dr. Gene Chermack, Mike Lyons WPBF, Mark Scirto, Dick Faurot, Alex Garcia, Timoteo Schmidt, Ed Piotrowski, Tim Heller, Katy Morgan, Joshua Marthers, Carlos A. Robles, Kristen Van Dyke, Dr Bill Gray, Dr. Philip Klotzbach, Max Mayfield and so many, many more that I stay in touch with at the National Tropical Weather and American Meteorological Society conferences...all great examples of what we should be in the broadcast, tropical and research meteorological enterprises.
And all of which have become true life-long friends along the way...thank you for sharing your knowledge, guidance, creativity and friendship!
And thanks to KATC for my employment, but also fostering continuing education and allowing me to stay active in attending conferences, symposiums and research.
And finally I thank my wife and kids...as many of you know, you're nothing without their love and support...they have sacrificed much to put up with me and our business!
To everyone above and to the National Tropical Weather Conference I am forever in your debt for your support and recognition, and am truly humbled."
