[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 22492]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE ON THE OCCASION OF MR. BRITT ``MAX'' MAYFIELD'S RETIREMENT FROM 
                      THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. VERNON J. EHLERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 5, 2006

  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mr. Britt 
``Max'' Mayfield on an exemplary career of service to his fellow 
citizens, and to wish him well in his much-deserved retirement. In his 
34 years of service to the nation, Max Mayfield has personified the 
dedication and excellence that make the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service one of the crown 
jewels of the federal government. Since he began forecasting weather 
for the Air Force in 1970, and over more than three decades with the 
National Weather Service, Max has helped push forward the science of 
forecasting to help make our nation a safer place. But just making 
better forecasts has never been enough for Max, because a forecast does 
no good if nobody hears it. Mr. Mayfield has also dedicated his career 
to making sure that his always-improving forecasts get out as quickly 
as possible to the people who need them. For example, he has worked 
tirelessly to make more educational opportunities available to 
emergency managers so that they have the tools they need to interpret 
and respond to hurricane and severe weather forecasts quickly and 
intelligently.
  There is no doubt in my mind that Max Mayfield's exemplary efforts, 
and those of his hard-working staff at the National Hurricane Center's 
Tropical Prediction Center, have helped communities prepare for 
impending disasters and have saved lives in communities across the 
country and around the world.
  I am not alone in my esteem for Mr. Mayfield. The American 
Meteorology Society, the National Association of Government 
Communicators, ABC Television, the National Academy of Television Arts 
and Sciences, the National Hurricane Conference, the Department of 
Commerce, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and 
President George W. Bush have all presented Max with formal awards for 
his outstanding achievements and service to his craft and to society. 
And those are just the formal awards--they do not include the many 
personal ``thank-you's'' that he has received from the very people he 
has spent his life serving, and from the people whose lives he has 
helped save.
  So I am pleased to express my deepest gratitude to Max Mayfield, and 
to his endlessly supportive family for sharing him with us for this 
time. God bless you and the work you have done; I wish you calm weather 
and smooth sailing in your retirement.

                          ____________________