The OU School of Meteorology is being recognized following the storms that devastated the area May 3.

American Airlines is donating $250,000 to the school. The money will establish an endowed professorship dedicated to storm warnings and weather safety.

OU President David Boren announced the gift Friday at the OU Board of Regents meeting. The funds will be matched by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education for a total endowment of $500,000.

"We're delighted," said Frederick Carr, director of the School of Meteorology. "They saw that it was a wise investment."

Carr said OU can bring in the best meteorology faculty in the nation, and American Airlines will be helped by increasing the strength of the meteorology faculty.

CAPS, a research group from the School of Meteorology, has been working with American Airlines and helping it with forecasting, he said.

Joshua Wurman, assistant professor of meteorology, measured the May 3 tornado as having winds up to 318 miles per hour.

Carr said it was the highest wind speed ever measured by man.

President Clinton said during his May 8 visit that he is asking Congress to appropriate $10 million to improve the National Weather Service's next generation Doppler radar network. Clinton also expressed interest in starting a National Weather Center at OU.

Carr said a National Weather Center would be beneficial to the School of Meteorology and the National Weather Service.

"We have both outgrown our space," Carr said.

"For years we have been trying to relocate."

Carr said university and state response has been good for the project, but getting federal support has been more difficult. He hopes that Clinton will help build the support that is needed.
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