To those who attended the Cleveland Flock Reunion.

It was a great time for you to get a glimpse behind the door of my childhood. A look at who molded me into who I am today.
You had a chance to meet my Mom, so you know where I got my weird sense of humor. You would have met my Dad, if he were feeling up to it, and saw
where I got my drive and determination.
You had a chance to chat with my godparents, who helped me reach my goals and keep them high.
You listened to my mentor, the man I idolized when I was growing up. The man who made me say “I want to be a meteorologist like Dick Goddard...”
But it all has to start somewhere.

It started in the second story classroom of Longfellow elementary school in Cleveland Ohio. There was a paper mache solar system, which I thought was
cool (so I made one at home) there were models of volcanoes, there were electric hand cranked generators, microscopes, and various other teaching tools.
But the one that caught my eye was the green chalkboard weather map. It was tattered - a roll up paper surface that was treated to be used with
chalk. It had been washed so clean it looked new. The truth was, it wasn’t used in years.

Paul Hink was the man who encouraged me to do weather reports at the conclusion of class. It became such a hit, that some of the other students
wanted to be my assistant, and would help me draw some of the surface features on the map.

Paul recongnized in me a spark of interest I had in weather. The other sciences were ok, but weather captivated me.
I am so glad those of you who came to Cleveland had a chance to meet Mr. Hink. (old habits are hard to break, I still can’t call him Paul)
He was an amazing man. His son emailed me that he had passed away, after a brief battle with an aggressive cancer.

The obit is below

Paul Hink Death Notice by the Cleveland Plain Dealer

I at least wanted you all to know that, if it were not for Paul, I may not have become a TV meteorologist, and I certainly wouldn’t be the same person
I am today. I don’t think I am overstating in saying that we all probably wouldn’t have met without Paul’s encouragement.

I will be making a donation to the family’s charity/cause of choice.
This notice is to just inform you that the man who started it all with me is gone from this Earth, but not from
my heart.

Thanks to you all,

Loving you -
Bryan

Hey Gang. Ever since I got back from the holidays it has been a non stop blur at work, so these updates have been slow in coming. I apologize for that. From the top of my head here are the latest updates
Ben Peine’s family has increased by one. Garry Seith has also had a child in addition to getting married prior to that arrival. Sarah Jones is now working in Springfield, MO. Greg Dee was the AMS Broadcast Meteorologist of the Year being recognized for his coverage of the Enterprise Alabama Tornado. Matt Chambers and Stephanie are expecting a new arrival soon, and he has also signed a new contract at KMOV. Amanda Cox is now engaged to be married, and is now working in Pennsylvania. Doug Heady is becoming a Dad. Matt Laubhan is now getting married in March. Sorry Matt. I wanted to be in the ceremony but with March being a ratings month, I could not get away. Chad Sandwell Won the best weathercaster award for the Northern Plains Region. Ashley Altieri, Zach Paul, Kyle Myers, Frank Waugh, Matt Elwell, Brett Anthony, Doug Heady, Ross Janssen, David Koeller and Ava Dinges have all come by the station or have spent some time in my company. It is always a gift to be around you all.  I promise to keep this updated more frequently. As ever - Bryan

Thanks to all who attended and make the flock reunion a great time. Meredith Lutz for helping out with the Flamingo folks. who is always there when and where I need her - from wake-up call reminders, to tabulating your comments, she remains amazing! Kyle Myers for coordinating your clips on YouTube, and the t-shirts. Flocker Tim Bush for getting Weather Central on board with the user seminar, and he timely presentation on the state of the industry. Roger Edwards from SPC for his talks and workshops, Doug Heady, Drew Swtizer, Kyle Myers, Matt Laubhan, Ross Janssen, and Ashton Altieri for their paper presentations. I found them all very interesting and informative. Mark Geldmeier and Jillene Wahl for their continued administration of the Flock Fund, and also the tradition of signed wall hangings. The extra John Winter tribute was an unexpected treat. John Howell who took time out of his schedule to talk to us about what John meant to his organization. and Valerie Ritterbusch for sponsoring the ice-breaker with her simple but potent Margaritas!

It is always a great time to share photos with everyone on-line. If you have some, please forward them to my email address, so I can post them on-line.

Yes, it is true. After Cleveland, I now realize that some of your flockers have offspring of your own. Please help me see how extensive the next generation is. I only included flockers who I know have had interns. If you don’t see your name, email me so I can add you to this growing roster.

Mike Cuevas
Damon Lane Abilene, TX
Brad Sowder, Grand Junction, CO
Grant Gilmore, Macon, GA
David Still, Sioux City, IA
Danielle Dozier, Abilene, TX

Matt Jacobs
Justin Horne, Midland TX

Matt Sayers
Greg Tatro, Lincoln, NE

John Winter
Casanova Nurse, Houston, TX

Current Flock Markets

The number of on-air flockers is: 39 ! Now proudly serving a potential of over 28.2 million U.S. television homes in 30 markets!
current flock distribution by network
10	3	9	4	11	0