BOISE, Idaho — The City Club of Boise on Wednesday presented the 2019 Ed and Dottie Stimpson Award for Civic Engagement to political scientist Dr. Jim Weatherby, a longtime Boise State University faculty member who has frequently offered his insight to people across Idaho as a political analyst on KTVB and Idaho Public Television.
Weatherby was director of Boise State's Public Policy Center and Social Science Research Center, and taught as an associate professor in the Department of Public Policy and Administration until his retirement in 2006. He has also served on the faculty at the University of Idaho and Northwest Nazarene University.
Weatherby accepted the Stimpson Award Wednesday evening in front of hundreds of former students, colleagues, friends and family at Jack's Urban Meeting Place in downtown Boise.
"Dottie Stimpson had a major impact on this community. I'm glad in some way to share in a little bit of that legacy by receiving this wonderful recognition," Weatherby said. "So I thank you very much, and I thank all of you who turned out tonight."
Outside of academia, Weatherby is a former executive director of the Association of Idaho Cities and former board member for the National League of Cities.
"I was a lobbyist for 15 years, and to be praised for being so kind - I was told on more than one occasion that I was too nice a guy to be a lobbyist - I took great offense at that," Weatherby joked as he began his acceptance remarks Wednesday night.
For the past three decades, Weatherby has become a familiar face and voice to Idaho television viewers on KTVB's newscasts, election night coverage, "Viewpoint," and on Idaho Public Television's "Idaho Reports."
He often sat alongside longtime KTVB news anchor Dee Sarton, who retired in June and served as emcee of Wednesday's Stimpson Award event.
"I think one of the things I've always loved about Jim is his humility, but yet his great depth of knowledge," Sarton said. "He was generous with his gift of knowledge and perspective. He was always kind - not only to me and my colleagues, but I have never seen him treat anyone with an ounce of disrespect."