George McVehil

George Edward McVehil Jr. passed away at Littleton Adventist Hospital on September 13, 2022, with his sons Jeffrey and Douglas McVehil at his side. He was born on February 17, 1934 in Washington, PA to parents George Edward McVehil and Leora Dietz McVehil. He grew up there, enjoying bird hunting, fishing, baseball, and many extended family activities. George then embarked on a long academic career which saw him earn a B.A. from Washington & Jefferson College, a B.S. and M.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D in Meteorology from Penn State. While at Penn State, he met his first wife, Inge Polacek. They were married in 1962 and shortly thereafter moved to Buffalo, NY and started a family with three children while George began his professional career at Cornell Aeronautical Laboratories. In 1969 they moved to Boulder, CO, where they raised their children and George worked for EG&G, Sierra Research Corporation, and Ball Aerospace during the 1970's. George married Ruth Ward in 1988. They settled in south suburban Denver and enjoyed 27 years of companionship, travel, fine meals, their West Highland Terriers, and time with family and friends until her passing in 2015. In the early 1980's, George co-founded the meteorological consulting firm McVehil-Monnett Associates with partner Bill Monnett. Over the ensuing 35 years MMA served a variety of corporate, government, and utility clients and employed and mentored many young professionals in the field. George was a member of the American Meteorological Society, of which he was elected a Fellow in 1984. The AMS recognized his lifetime of work in 1998 with the Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Advance of Applied Meteorology and in 2012 with the Charles Franklin Brooks Award for Outstanding Services to the Society. George was devoted to his career in science, working well into his 80's, and enjoyed travel, baseball, his dogs, and time with his family. He is survived by his sons Jeffrey McVehil of Louisville, CO, Douglas McVehil of Santa Monica, CA, his stepsons Phillip Ward (Debra) of Double Oak, TX and Jeffrey Ward (Gail) of Aurora, CO, and his sister Linda Elliott of Pittsburgh, PA. He was pre-deceased by his wife Ruth McVehil and his daughter Debra McVehil. No services are planned, in accordance with George's wishes. In lieu of flowers, donations are welcomed to the American Meteorological Society, in memory of George E. McVehil.