Bring It Bigger: OU Giving Day Opportunities

We invite you to support two funds in memory of two of our former colleagues, Dr. Kenneth Crawford and David Shellberg.

Dr. Kenneth C. Crawford Endowed Award Fund

Dr. Kenneth C. Crawford’s passion was to teach synoptic meteorology and help students learn the processes of the atmosphere and how they control and change meteorological patterns. While Dr. Crawford never taught the measurements course at OU, he obsessed over instrumentation and observations. The success of the Oklahoma Mesonet is a testimony to his commitment to this obsession.

Dr. Crawford earned his Ph.D. in Meteorology in 1977 from OU. He worked for the National Weather Service at offices in New Orleans and Fort Worth before becoming the Meteorologist-in-Charge at the Norman office in 1982. In 1989, he became the Director of the Oklahoma Climatological Survey and Professor of Meteorology at OU. During his time at OU, he taught dozens of courses, advised countless undergraduates and served on the committees of more than 80 M.S. and Ph.D. students. It was Dr. Crawford’s commitment to students that inspired the creation of this endowment fund.

Today, two awards carry on Dr. Crawford’s legacy by recognizing outstanding performance and student initiative in these two topics of meteorology. Before his passing in 2014, he expressed a desire for his fund to financially assist students who shared in his passions.

David James Shellberg Memorial Scholarship Fund

The David James Shellberg Memorial Scholarship is presented each year to a student in recognition of exemplary research using geophysical data. David earned his B.S. degree in Meteorology from Purdue University before coming to the University of Oklahoma for graduate school. He earned his M.S. in Meteorology from OU in 1994. After completing his degree, David joined the Oklahoma Climatological Survey as a research associate to continue his work on the Oklahoma Mesonet. David was an enthusiastic young man, a good friend to many, and an integral part in making the Oklahoma Mesonet a reality. David died in a plane crash in Indiana on October 31, 1994; he was heading back to Oklahoma after giving an invited presentation for the National Weather Service in Indianapolis about the Oklahoma Mesonet followed by participating with the marching band at halftime during his alma mater’s homecoming. He was only 25 years old. His parents, Rosemary and James Shellberg, endowed this scholarship in his name.

Checks should be made payable to the "OU Foundation", and write the fund number and/or fund name on the memo line or in an enclosed note.

• Kenneth C. Crawford Endowed Award - # 42407
• David James Shellberg Scholarship - # 41694

Mail to:

The University of Oklahoma Foundation
P.O. Box 258856
Oklahoma City, OK 73125-8856

You may also contact Donor Help at (405) 321-1174 or donorhelp@oufoundation.org.

Boomer Sooner! Thank you!