A Story of Firsts

During World War II, black enlistment was not readily accepted, and black soldiers were separated from whites in the Air Force. This gave birth to the Tuskegee Airmen and specifically the Tuskegee Weather Detachment. Formed on March 21, 1942, the detachment was made up of 15 men. They made up just .2% of all-weather officers despite black enlistment in the Air Force being at a higher percentage of 7%. The detachment went through rigorous training and became experts at map drawing and illustrations. This detachment contained several prominent black meteorologists such as Dr. Charles Anderson and Wallace Patillo Reed. The Tuskegee Airmen’s success advanced the push for desegregating the military, which came in 1948.

Born August 13, 1919, Charles Anderson was born in St. Louis, Missouri. After graduating valedictorian in 1937, he went on to receive his bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Lincoln University and was third in his class. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps during World War II where he and 150 other soldiers were sent to the University of Chicago to study meteorology, and he earned his master’s degree in Meteorology in 1963. Anderson was a part of the aforementioned Tuskegee Airmen as a weather officer and helped train pilots from across the country. While working at the Air Force Cambridge Research Center in the Chief Cloud Physics Branch, Anderson earned his doctoral degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the field of meteorology becoming the first Black person in the country to earn this achievement. He moved to work at the Atmospheric Science Branch of the Douglas Aircraft Company in California and then the Director of the Office of Federal Coordination in Meteorology in Environmental Science Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce from 1965 to 1966. In 1966, he became a professor at the University of Wisconsin in Meteorology, and in 1970 became Chairman of the Meteorology program and a professor in Afro-American Studies. In 1987, he changed schools and became a professor in the Atmospheric Science department at North Carolina State University. He remained there until retiring in 1990, before sadly passing on October 21, 1994.

Born October 23, 1938, June Bacon-Bercey was the first African-American woman meteorologist and TV meteorologist. She received a bachelor’s degree in meteorology in 1954 and worked for the National Meteorological Center in Washington D.C. In 1970, she became a television broadcaster in Buffalo, New York, and took over as the TV meteorologist after the previous meteorologist was released. In 1972, Bacon-Bercey received the American Meteorological Society Seal of Approval for her work in broadcast meteorology, becoming the first African-American and woman to receive this honor. After working for NBC, she worked for the National Weather Service (NWS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for 15 years. She helped found the American Meteorological Society’s Board on Women and Minorities in 1975 and established a scholarship through the American Geophysical Union for women in sciences. Bacon-Bercey is recognized by NASA as a Minority Pioneer for Achievement in Atmospheric Sciences and helped create a meteorology lab at Jackson State University, an HBCU in Mississippi. She passed away on July 3rd, 2019, and left an amazing legacy of excellence in her field, advocating for those who came behind her.

Dr. Warren Washington was born on August 28, 1936, in Portland, Oregon. He graduated from Oregon State University with a bachelor’s in Physics and a master’s in Meteorology. Also, he earned his doctorate from Pennsylvania State University in 1964, becoming the second African-American to earn that distinction. In 1963, he joined the National Center for Atmospheric Research 1963 and became a developer in atmospheric computer modeling which has been fundamental to how we view climate change. He has over 150 publications and has researched circulation models and the Parallel Climate Model (PCM). Dr. Washington was a part of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize efforts in his work on climate change through his research using the Community Earth System Model (CESM). He has been a member of the President’s National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere and has worked with several presidents such as Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and Bush Administrations. Dr. Washington has served as a member of the National Science Board as a member from 1994 to 2006 and its chair from 2002-2006. He is the former president of the American Meteorological Society, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. He has honorary degrees from Oregon State University, Bates College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst and is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union. Dr. Washington won the Dr. Charles Anderson Award in 1999 "for pioneering efforts as a mentor and passionate support of individuals, educational programs, and outreach initiatives designed to foster a diverse population of atmospheric scientists." He was awarded the Vollum award from Reed College and the National Medal of Science by President Obama in 2010. Currently, he is serving as chair of the Committee to Advise the U.S Global Change Research Program. 

Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Evelyn Fields is a retired rear admiral of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps and formerly served as the director of the Commissioned Officer Corps and director of NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations before her retirement in 2003. Fields became the first woman and African-American to head the NOAA Corps. She graduated from Norfolk State University in 1971 with a bachelor’s in Mathematics and became a civilian cartographer at NOAA’s Atlantic Marine Center. When NOAA allowed for women to be commissioned officers in 1973, Fields joined NOAA’s officer corps, as the first African-American woman to do so. She worked her way through ranks researching hydrology and was chosen to command the McArthur, a ship for oceanographic and fisheries research. Per the course of her outstanding career, this was a first, as Fields was the first female officer to command an NOAA ship and the first African-American. She became director of the Commissioned Personnel Center and then acting deputy director of the National Ocean Service in 1997. In a historic moment, President Bill Clinton appointed Fields, Director of the NOAA Corps and the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations in January 1999. This raised her rank to rear admiral and made her responsible for over 1,100 employees and managed NOAA’s research ships and aircraft. In 2000, she received the Department of Commerce Gold Medal for leadership, and the Virginia State Legislature passed Senate Joint Resolution No. 15, commending Fields on her exemplary career with NOAA. Rear Admiral Fields retired December 1, 2003.

Excellence of performance will transcend artificial boundaries created by man - Charles Drew, creator of the blood bank and blood transfusion

Dr. Hawkins is the Chief of the Severe, Fire, Public, and Winter Weather Service Branch in the Analyze, Forecast and Support Office of the National Weather Service (NWS) in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). She grew up in Chicago and moved to D.C to attend Howard University. She received a bachelor's in Chemistry from Howard and participated in a NASA-led program focused on Earth's and other planets' atmospheres. After graduation, Dr. Hawkins worked at the National Governors Association to help address climate change and wrote science briefs on environmental issues such as chemical emergency management. She returned to Howard to achieve a doctorate in Atmospheric Sciences. While a part of the doctoral program, she participated in three shipboard research cruises and sailed into Saharan dust storms to study the physical and chemical evolution of the Saharan aerosol layer and its effect on the atmospheric marine environment. Before her current position, she also served as acting Executive Officer in the Analyze, Forecast, and Support office. She continues her role as Chief of the Severe, Fire, Public, and Winter Weather Services Branch and is a champion for women in STEM everywhere.

Leo Bailey was born in Youngstown, Ohio on August 31, 1928. He moved to Alaska in 1958, and during the late 1960s, Bailey supported the White Alice Communications System of the Air Force while working with Alascom on Government Hill in Anchorage. He joined the National Weather Service as an Electronics Technician in 1971. Leo received numerous awards during his career, including a 50-year career service award, signed by President George W. Bush in 2008. As an Army veteran, Leo was well respected and known for always helping others and took tremendous pride in his work and his appearance. Leo’s kindness, love of life, and strong work ethic left an indelible mark on so many people, both within and beyond the National Weather Service. Bailey retired from the National Weather Service in 2012.

Dr. Shepard serves as a Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Georgia as the director of the Atmospheric Science Program and one of the nation's top experts in weather and climate. He attended Florida State University where he received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. He was the first African-American to receive a Ph.D. from their meteorology program. Before working at UGA, Dr. Shepard worked as a Research Meteorologist at NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center and was Deputy Project Scientist for the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission. He is a former President and fellow of the American Meteorology Society, becoming the second African-American to head AMS. In 2004, Dr. Shepard was honored by President Bush for pioneering scientific research in weather and climate with the Presidential Early Career Award. He has co-authored a children's book on weather and weather instruments called Dr. Fred's Weather Watch and co-founded the Alcova Elementary Weather Science Chat series to boost their interest in STEM. Dr. Shepard diligently continues his efforts advocating for the younger generation's interest in STEM and leading the charge for Black meteorologists everywhere.

Alan Sealls is Chief Meteorologist at NBC15, WPMI-TV in Mobile, Alabama, and has served as the chief meteorologist in Mobile for over 20 years. Sealls earned his bachelor's and master's degree from Cornell and Florida State University, respectively. From there, he began to start his journey of "first" in the field of Broadcast Meteorology. In 1987, he became the first Black TV meteorologist in Albany, GA. He repeated this feat in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1988 and after a brief stint in Chicago, he became the first Black TV and Chief Meteorologist in Mobile, AL before earning his current job. In 2018, Sealls became the first president of the National Weather Association, again being the first Black president of the association. His outstanding work earned Sealls 11 regional Emmy awards, the AMS Award for Broadcast Meteorology, the title of "Best Weathercaster" in Alabama from the Alabama Broadcaster's Association twice, and many other accolades. He has consistently been a bridge for minorities in meteorology, paving the way for many to follow in his illustrious footsteps.

Bill Parker is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, where he attended the John F. Kennedy High School for Math, Science, and Engineering. He received his B.S. degree in Meteorology in 1994 from Jackson State University. He currently serves as the Meteorologist-In-Charge of the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Jackson, MS. Over his twenty-five years of service within the National Weather Service, he has successfully recruited more than a hundred students to work in NOAA facilities through volunteer and internship opportunities.  As a result, Bill has received 14 awards directly related to being a diversity champion and promoting STEM education and outreach for NOAA. He is a recipient of the Volunteer of the Year Award from Volunteers for Youth Justice, and he has been recognized as an African American Modern Day History Maker by KSLA-TV. After personally warning and alerting his own family members of the dangers of Hurricane Katrina, he also ended up housing more than sixty evacuees after the devastating storm.  He is currently advising Jackson State University’s College of Science Engineering and Technology in the development of a Center for Community Resilience to provide specialized emergency/disaster management and preparedness education to our most vulnerable communities. Bill strongly believes in serving his local community and is a true diversity champion.