John Oldshue

John Oldshue was a meteorologist[1] and storm chaser for ABC 33/40 in Birmingham, Alabama from 1997 until 2011 when he retired to run a small business. He won an Emmy award for coverage of the Tuscaloosa tornado on December 16, 2000 with meteorologist James Spann. More recently he was the first storm spotter/meteorologist to capture video of the April 27, 2011 Tuscaloosa Tornado and transmit that to ABC 33/40 approximately 30 minutes before the tornado struck Tuscaloosa. “John Oldshue is one of the unsung heroes of April 27,” said James Spann. “He captured that big wedge tornado on the ground when it was still 30 miles south of Tuscaloosa. That dramatic video convinced a lot of people to take cover." [2]

Personal life

He was born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. His mother, Isabel Oldshue, is a retired family practice doctor. His father, Jerry Oldshue Sr., was the historian of the University of Alabama and died in November 2015.

In June 2011, he relocated from Tuscaloosa to Fairhope.

Education

He graduated from Mississippi State University in 1993, with a BS in Geosciences majoring in meteorology. He completed his MBA degree at the University of Alabama in 1998.

Career

Oldshue worked at WDBB in Tuscaloosa as the Chief Meteorologist from 1993 to 1995 and at WALA in Mobile as the morning meteorologist from 1995 until January 1997. He joined ABC 33/40 as weekend meteorologist and storm chaser from January 1997 until January 2011. He is currently a fill in meteorologist for WKRG in Mobile, Alabama. John is a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist by the American Meteorological Society and has the National Weather Association Seal of Approval. He was voted best small market weather anchor in Alabama for 1994 and 1995 by the Associated Press.

In 2011, he retired from working as a meteorologist in pursuit of several online businesses including LowCards.com,[3] SaveOnPhone.com, and SaveOnInsurance.com.

In 2016 he became one of the first FAA approved aerial drone pilots and created SoutheastSky.com for aerial imaging and videography. He has been part of teams winning two Addy awards for his aerial videography work on Alabama tourism commercials.

References
  1. Jordan, Rob (February 20, 2004). "Riding out the storm: Weather tour shows residents in Ohatchee how to stay safe". Anniston Star. Retrieved 29 April 2011. ... storms from local television meteorologists James Spann Mark Prater and John Oldshue of ABC 3340
  2. Watson, Rick (June 1, 2011) "James Spann: Tracking storms, saving lives" 280 Living
  3. Oldshue, John (July 8, 2013) About LowCards Editors http://www.lowcards.com/about-us
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