Max Mayfield to retire as director of hurricane center

Max Mayfield, whose calm voice but resolute manner guided South Floridians and millions of others through some of the worst hurricane seasons in history, will retire as director of the National Hurricane Center and intends to leave in January, he told his staff this afternoon.

''No one event has caused this,'' he told shocked forecasters during the usual afternoon ''map discussion'' to review conditions in the hurricane zone. 'I've been here 34 years and as Forrest Gump said in the movie, `I'm tired and I want to go home.' ''

The staff expected to hear only about Tropical Storm Debby and Tropical Depression 5, which is expected to grow into Tropical Storm Ernesto as it moves through the Caribbean.

Along with that, they heard the bombshell announcement, which took less than a minute.
''My last day is going to be Jan. 3,'' he told his forecasters and support staff. ``Let's give it everything we've got. Now, get back to work.''

Navy Lt. Dave Roberts, a forecaster, said: ''Four more years!'' The employees responded with a brief burst of applause. Then, they returned to work.

Mayfield, 57, has led the hurricane center and its forecasters since May 2000.He said he plans to remain in charge during the rest of the season, retire after 34 years of federal service and then consider his options.

''I don't have anything lined up,'' he said, ``and I don't want to even think about it until I get some rest.''

In the recent past, he has told friends that last year's record season and the busy season before that left him worn and that the demands of running a high-profile government operation weighed heavily on him.

Still, the decision had to have been difficult.

Shortly before accepting the post six years ago, Mayfield told The Miami Herald that it was the only job he ever really wanted.

''I'm not going anywhere,'' he said back then. ``I'll never leave the hurricane center.''This afternoon, he announced that he has changed his mind.

''Well, I was always going to retire sometime,'' he said.

Asked about the strain, Mayfield said:``It's not just the season. The battle against the hurricane is waged during the off season too, so it all takes a toll.''

He said he has given his superiors at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service plenty of notice so a successor can be chosen in a ``seamless transition.''

NOAA officials had no immediate comment, but one leading candidate to succeed Mayfield is his current deputy director, Ed Rappaport.

''The hurricane center will continue just fine without me,'' he said.Mayfield has been widely praised for his efforts in recent years and became the most visible forecaster in government service, appearing frequently in the media during hurricane crises, attending professional conferences and becoming prominent in other venues.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which killed more than 1,700 people, Mayfield was summoned to testify at six congressional hearings. He and his staff won praise for their efforts to sound the alarm.

He often was asked for his autograph and frequently was asked by admirers to pose for pictures with them. Though naturally shy, he always agreed.

When one observer noted last May that he was being treated a bit like a rock star, Mayfield smiled ruefully.

''It's part of the job,'' he said. ``It helps me get the message out.''

And the message was: Be prepared and takes these hurricane threats seriously.

''I really want you to listen to me here,'' Mayfield told reporters when his appointment was made official on May 10, 2000. ``The greatest potential for loss of life is still along the coastline from storm surge. This is the dome of water that can be 50 to 100 miles wide and 15 feet deep when it makes landfall.

''People need to know their vulnerabilities,'' he said.

Born in Oklahoma, Mayfield holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Oklahoma and a master's degree in meteorology from Florida State University.

He joined the hurricane center, now in west Miami-Dade County, in 1972 as an intern. He became a hurricane forecaster in 1988 and a senior forecaster -- one of only six -- two years later.

He was named deputy director in 1998 and became acting director in January 2000 when Jerry Jarrell retired.

Mayfield's wife, Linda, teaches at a school in Miami-Dade. They have three children.