Drew Terril
Staff member
As far as I know, both Tulsa and OKC area radio stations still do a simulcast of their respective TV partners during severe weather events. So it's very likely that you did, in fact, hear audio of his coverage.
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Gary England, Rest in Peace
- Thread starter Mike Smith
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- gary england obituary oklahoma
Blake Naftel
EF3
Gary England was certainly a fun individual and true weather character that played a very important role in my young life as a eventual former weather producer, reporter, meteorologist and filmmaker over the years. We first met on June 3, 2005 after I cold called him to interview for a full time weather producer job at KWTV 9 in OKC. Gary cordially invited me in, even though I paid my own way driving from Kalamazoo, Michigan to the former KWTV 9 station location on Britton Road near Edmond. Ultimately I did not get that job, but he kindly referred me to another weather broadcaster at WBRZ 2 in Baton Rouge that was hiring a severe weather reporter/producer a month before hurricane Katrina struck that August. I was floored at that potential opportunity, all but 24 at the time. Ultimately I turned that position down in lieu of completing a geoscience degree at Western Michigan University. As happens in life, it all eventually worked out with assorted potholes along the way. We remained in contact and ten years later we reunited in that same KWTV office to record his meteorological and broadcast history for the Storm Chasing Anthology documentary. Full circle! Thankful we ultimately met, regardless if we did not work together directly. He will be missed and my sincere condolences to the entire England family.
"Jump back! Throw me down, Loretta! It's Friday night in the big town!" A favorite phrase of his.
Here are my memories with Gary England, unedited, recorded for posterity today, 18 June 2025, to share.
All the best,
Blake
BLAKE WILLIAM NAFTEL
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"Jump back! Throw me down, Loretta! It's Friday night in the big town!" A favorite phrase of his.
Here are my memories with Gary England, unedited, recorded for posterity today, 18 June 2025, to share.
All the best,
Blake
BLAKE WILLIAM NAFTEL
616.643.7762
blakenaftel.com
threereelfilms.com
TikTok
Tumblr
YouTube
Vimeo
Randy Zipser
EF3
Blake's excellent video piece above stirred up a memory of a personal experience I had with Gary England.
At the time, I was living in Norman and working at the Oklahoma Water Resources Board in SE OKC. I do not recall the year, but it was probably 1982 or 1983. At that time, during President Reagan's administration, federal hiring had practically ground to a halt due to stagflation, and the State of Oklahoma had also taken up similar austerity measures with their employees (including cutbacks in promotions, pay bonuses, technical training, vacation leave, etc.). It was a tough time for everyone, but at least I was glad I had a job!
During those years, I had very little direct contact with Gary, although he had probably heard of me because of my position as the Oklahoma NFIP Floodplain Coordinator. Then, one day, out-of-the-blue, I got a phone call from an enthusiastic and excited Gary England. He wanted to tell me about a new private venture that he was starting locally, and he wanted to know if I would be interested in being part of it! This piqued my curiosity and so I said "Yes, Gary, what do have in mind?" He went on to tell me about W.A.R.N. (which is an acronym for Weather Alert Radio Network).
Gary had purchased a small house, hidden from the road and surrounded by trees, near Pink, OK, in Pottawatomie County, east of Norman. He was looking to put together a team of meteorologists to staff this "office" 24/7, and wanted to know if I'd be interested in this. The primary duties would be to assist the radar meteorologist (yet to be hired) in preparing weather warnings in near real time for paid subscribers who had become W.A.R.N. clients and purchased a gizmo like a transmitter device. Sort of like NOAA Weather Radio, but more pinpoint-localized and more customized. I don't recall us ever discussing details like contracts, salaries, specific duties, shifts, etc.
Anyway, I arranged one Sunday afternoon for Gary to give me "the grand tour" of the W.A.R.N facility and operation. So, Gary came to pick me up at my little duplex in SE Norman, and off we went eastbound on Highway 9. I recall Gary being so talkative, enthusiastic and genuinely excited about what he was going to show me...like a kid in a candy store! But what I remember most was what only Gary England could look like: larger than life! His vehicle was a big limousine-sized black Cadillac. The leather seats were decked out with "furry" seat covers, and there was a big polished-chrome-and-horn ornament resembling "Texas longhorns" in the center of the front hood. Not to be outdone, Gary was wearing expensive alligator (or ostrich-skin) Luke Casey tall boots, tight-fitting blue jeans, and (if memory serves) a white-felt cowboy hat, and a big polished-silver belt buckle studded with rhinestones! The perfect Glen Campbell song "Rhinestone Cowboy" look...
Other than that, I don't remember too much else...so W.A.R.N didn't really make much of an impression on me at the time. A few days later, I phoned Gary and respectfully declined his offer. I had a good job with steady pay and good benefits, and did not want to give that up! I found out later that Gary had approached Tim Marshall, as well, at the same time he was interviewing with Haag Engineering; Tim also declined Gary's offer and went on to an illustrious career with Haag.
It was the right decision for both of us--as W.A.R.N. never actually "got off the ground," and Gary abandoned the venture not long after. But Gary had such an easy-going, folksy personality, and boundless energy...not to mention a deep love for severe-storm forecasting and tornado chasing.
Gary was a unique and wonderful man. His "larger-than-life" persona will always be a part of Oklahoma weather history. RIP, Gary!
At the time, I was living in Norman and working at the Oklahoma Water Resources Board in SE OKC. I do not recall the year, but it was probably 1982 or 1983. At that time, during President Reagan's administration, federal hiring had practically ground to a halt due to stagflation, and the State of Oklahoma had also taken up similar austerity measures with their employees (including cutbacks in promotions, pay bonuses, technical training, vacation leave, etc.). It was a tough time for everyone, but at least I was glad I had a job!
During those years, I had very little direct contact with Gary, although he had probably heard of me because of my position as the Oklahoma NFIP Floodplain Coordinator. Then, one day, out-of-the-blue, I got a phone call from an enthusiastic and excited Gary England. He wanted to tell me about a new private venture that he was starting locally, and he wanted to know if I would be interested in being part of it! This piqued my curiosity and so I said "Yes, Gary, what do have in mind?" He went on to tell me about W.A.R.N. (which is an acronym for Weather Alert Radio Network).
Gary had purchased a small house, hidden from the road and surrounded by trees, near Pink, OK, in Pottawatomie County, east of Norman. He was looking to put together a team of meteorologists to staff this "office" 24/7, and wanted to know if I'd be interested in this. The primary duties would be to assist the radar meteorologist (yet to be hired) in preparing weather warnings in near real time for paid subscribers who had become W.A.R.N. clients and purchased a gizmo like a transmitter device. Sort of like NOAA Weather Radio, but more pinpoint-localized and more customized. I don't recall us ever discussing details like contracts, salaries, specific duties, shifts, etc.
Anyway, I arranged one Sunday afternoon for Gary to give me "the grand tour" of the W.A.R.N facility and operation. So, Gary came to pick me up at my little duplex in SE Norman, and off we went eastbound on Highway 9. I recall Gary being so talkative, enthusiastic and genuinely excited about what he was going to show me...like a kid in a candy store! But what I remember most was what only Gary England could look like: larger than life! His vehicle was a big limousine-sized black Cadillac. The leather seats were decked out with "furry" seat covers, and there was a big polished-chrome-and-horn ornament resembling "Texas longhorns" in the center of the front hood. Not to be outdone, Gary was wearing expensive alligator (or ostrich-skin) Luke Casey tall boots, tight-fitting blue jeans, and (if memory serves) a white-felt cowboy hat, and a big polished-silver belt buckle studded with rhinestones! The perfect Glen Campbell song "Rhinestone Cowboy" look...
Other than that, I don't remember too much else...so W.A.R.N didn't really make much of an impression on me at the time. A few days later, I phoned Gary and respectfully declined his offer. I had a good job with steady pay and good benefits, and did not want to give that up! I found out later that Gary had approached Tim Marshall, as well, at the same time he was interviewing with Haag Engineering; Tim also declined Gary's offer and went on to an illustrious career with Haag.
It was the right decision for both of us--as W.A.R.N. never actually "got off the ground," and Gary abandoned the venture not long after. But Gary had such an easy-going, folksy personality, and boundless energy...not to mention a deep love for severe-storm forecasting and tornado chasing.
Gary was a unique and wonderful man. His "larger-than-life" persona will always be a part of Oklahoma weather history. RIP, Gary!
Last edited:
Randy Zipser
EF3
![WSJ Tribute to Gary England [June 21-22, 2025].jpg](/data/attachments/44/44765-6f236933655677de75ad4b875ac08063.jpg?hash=bNHrEWiNWn)
Randy Zipser
EF3
In case anyone, especially outside of the OKC television market, has not seen this, KWTV Channel 9 aired about five days ago an original, half-hour-long special called "Remembering Gary England." This can be seen at the YouTube link below:
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