Clifford J. Thomforde

Inducted 2013

The 2013 Distinguished Service Award is given posthumously to consulting engineer Clifford J. Thomforde, whose patience, skill, and charity helped keep many rural radio stations on the air. 

After graduating from the University of North Dakota in 1941 with a degree in Electrical Engineering he joined the FCC before going to work for Collins Radio.  After his appointment as Assistant Professor at UND in 1947, Cliff attended Iowa State University during the summers and received his Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering in 1951.  He started his consulting career in 1953 by securing a 5 kW license for little 250-watt KNOX Radio.  After his retirement from UND in 1982 he devoted much of his time to the broadcast industry, flying his small plane and driving his pickup truck at all hours of the night to help rural broadcasters from Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota maintain their FCC licenses and stay on the air.  Clifford J. Thomforde peacefully passed away March 21, 2010, at the age of 92.