Stormy Rottman Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Purpose:
The fund is established to provide financial assistance to deserving students enrolled as Meteorology majors at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Leon “Stormy” Rottman was a fixture on Denver television Channel 9 for almost 20 years. He was one of the first TV weathermen to have credentials from the American Meteorological Society. His weather forecasting career began in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Since he had a degree in Chemistry, the Army sent him to Meteorology school before shipping him to the Pacific. It was common during the war for such meteorologists to be called “Stormy,” but with him the nickname stuck. So did his love for the weather. Rottman was recalled into the Air Force during the Korean War and ended up making the military his career, serving as a weather forecaster and briefing officer in Japan, Germany and various U.S. locales. His first station was at Lake Charles, Louisiana, where he got a taste of TV work doing weather reports on their first local television station. During his time in Colorado Springs from 1957 to 1962, he moonlighted as a weatherman on KRDO-TV Channel 13. After retiring from the Air Force in 1968 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, he and his wife moved back to Colorado, and Rottman was hired by 9News where he had another 19-year career as a TV weathercaster. Originally hired as a weekend anchor, he later moved to the No. 1 position. One of Stormy’s favorite pastimes was visiting schools to educate children about the weather. He knew how to make his information both educational and entertaining. His passion for his subject was clear to his audience, both on TV and in the classroom. Periodically, he also appeared as a guest lecturer in Meteorology classes at Metropolitan State University of Denver. After his death, his widow Leah Farfel Rottman started the Stormy Rottman Endowed Memorial Scholarship in his memory.

Criteria:
• Be taking a minimum of 12 credit hours during the semester(s) the scholarship is received
• Have a declared major in Meteorology
• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 overall and a 3.5 GPA in Meteorology
• Be a sophomore, junior or senior
• Must be eligible to receive financial aid as defined by FAFSA guidelines