[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 99 (Tuesday, June 29, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1231]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING DR. JEFF KIMPEL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOHN SULLIVAN

                              of oklahoma

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 29, 2010

  Mr. SULLIVAN. Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise 
today to honor Dr. Jeff Kimpel for his service as the Director of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National 
Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL), in Norman, Oklahoma, and for his 
thirteen years of Federal service.
  Dr. Jeff Kimpel has been a lifeline for the NSSL for the last 
thirteen years; he has led the program to further research 
opportunities and the results have showed nothing but excellence. Dr. 
Kimpel has allowed the NSSL to embark upon many programs and 
technological advancements, saving countless lives and property from 
the consequences that severe weather can cause. Under the watch of Dr. 
Kimpel, the NSSL performed the scientific and technological research 
that upgraded the Next Generation Weather Radar to an open systems 
operation. Along with this, super resolution capability and designed 
dual polarization upgrades were added.
  The NSSL has been able to upgrade and expand their programs, 
establishing strong programs and cloud resolving and numerical forecast 
models, all under the watch of Dr. Kimpel. He was also instrumental in 
gaining support for new facilities, which sprung the construction of 
the National Weather Center, which shares space with the National 
Weather Service and the University of Oklahoma Meteorology Program.
  Dr. Kimpel has a perseverance that goes far beyond the field of 
meteorology. He is dedicated to NSSL but has also achieved so much 
more, such as serving our nation in Vietnam and being awarded the 
Bronze Star Medal for his bravery and courage and being named as the 
Senior Vice President of the Norman Campus of the University of 
Oklahoma.
  Dr. Kimpel, I commend and congratulate you on your noteworthy 
contributions that you have made to our Nation, the state of Oklahoma, 
the University of Oklahoma and to the field of meteorology.

                          ____________________