A beloved and valued member of the AccuWeather forecasting team for nearly 30 years, AccuWeather's Ken Reeves passed away on March 25, 2012, after a tragic accident at his Pennsylvania home.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1961, Reeves earned a degree in meteorology from Pennsylvania State University in 1983. Upon graduation, he went to work for AccuWeather and rose to become head of the IT department and then Director of Forecasting Operations. At the time of his death, Reeves was a senior meteorologist, Vice President of AccuWeather, Inc., and General Manager of AccuWeather, Inc., Television Network.

The Ken Reeves AccuWeather Memorial Scholarship

In memory of Reeves and his many contributions to helping and supporting undergraduate students advance their careers in Atmospheric Sciences, AccuWeather established a scholarship fund with the American Meteorological Society.

The Ken Reeves Memorial AccuWeather Undergraduate Scholarship in Meteorology assists outstanding students pursuing a career in operational meteorology.

Reeves was passionate about meteorology and mentoring young professionals and students in pursuing their dreams of forecasting. He was very involved with the Pennsylvania State University, often attending career fairs, participating in weekly forecast discussions and helping with the Penn State Weather Camp. The weather briefing at the Penn State Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science has since been named after Ken Reeves.

Mount Nittany Conservancy bestows posthumous honors

Ken was honored posthumously in the fall of 2012 by the Mount Nittany Conservancy with its third annual Friend of the Mountain award. Blake Gall and John Hook nominated him for this award:

"Ken was an integral member of the founding group of the Mount Nittany Conservancy in 1981. He served as the third President of the Conservancy and was deeply involved in the organization as a board member and Emeritus board member ever since. Ken's love for the Mountain, his vision for its preservation and conservation and his knowledge about all that surrounds it, was an inspiration for all of us who have had the honor of serving the Mountain. It was our privilege to have known and worked with Kenny."

In addition, Bob Andronici, Co-Chairman of the Mountain Committee, led a group of AccuWeather volunteers on a trail-widening project in the fall of 2012 in Reeves' memory.

(Photo credit: Mount Nittany Conservancy)

A memorial geocache in Ken's honor was placed on Mount Nittany with a placard explaining what Ken meant to the mountain. "Right Paw of his class and Emeritus Board Member of the Mount Nittany Conservancy, Ken was a dedicated Penn Stater who contributed an enormous amount of time and passion into Penn State, Mount Nittany and Lion's Paw."

Inside the geocache is a place for people to note the date, year, barometric reading and temperature.

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