We have received the sad news of the passing away of Charles A. Doswell III, or Chuck, as most will know him. A Honorary Member of ESSL, Chuck has been an extraordinary supporter of the European Severe Storms community, right from the first edition of the conference series that became the ECSS conferences in Toulouse in 2000. Chuck Doswell was a researcher who worked at several employers including the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Oklahoma. He did not only have a strong interest in severe weather research, but also in it resulting in quantifiable, meaningful outcomes.

He had a particular talent for reducing the complexity of severe storm forecasting to its fundamentals (lift, moisture, and instability), for which he was awarded the Nikolai Dotzek Award in 2013. He always made sure that these basics were fully understood by his audience whenever he presented them in his own special style. Chuck actively supported everyone with a genuine interest in making progress in severe weather forecasting, including the founders of ESSL and the ESTOFEX project. ESSL is extremely thankful to have enjoyed his support from consulting us on the European Severe Weather Database to teaching at the ESSL Testbeds and courses. Now, we are confident that the instability has lifted him to a place where he is now enjoying his favorite red grapy moisture.