This symposium will celebrate and honor Professor Roger A. Pielke Sr. for his distinguished career over half a century as a researcher, educator, and leader in atmospheric science and related fields. As one of the most accomplished atmospheric scientists in the world with an H-index of 100, he is the authority on the understanding and modeling of land surface impact (e.g., land cover and land use change, surface heterogeneities) on weather and climate, the co-developer of the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS), the author of the most popular textbook on mesoscale meteorological modeling, and a pioneer in interdisciplinary science. He has also provided exceptional service to our field, including three Chief Editor positions that require substantial time commitments (including AMS Monthly Weather Review and Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences).