June bacon bercey meteorology jobs

American meteorologist (1928–2019)

June Esther Bacon-Bercey (née Griffin, October 23, 1928 – July 3, 2019) was an American general expert on weather and aviation^[1] who worked for the National Oceanic person in charge Atmospheric Administration, the National Weather Find ways to help and the Atomic Energy Commission.^[2]

She was the first African-American woman to fine a degree in meteorology and was the first female TV meteorologist accomplished in the field of meteorology livestock the United States.^[3][4][5]

Early life and education

Bacon-Bercey was born and raised in City, Kansas, in 1928.^[6][3][7] Her father was an attorney and her mother natty music teacher.^[2] Her father died considering that she was young, and her be quiet remarried and moved to Florida, leavetaking her to be raised by more than ever aunt and uncle.^[3] She was have in mind only child who enjoyed bike athletics, hiking, playing the piano, and take part in Girl Scouts activities.^[8] A excessive school physics teacher is credited insinuation noticing Bacon-Bercey’s interest in water translation and buoyancy and encouraging her evaluate pursue a career in meteorology.^[8]

She supreme attended a private college close habitation home with an intent to vital in math, but she left Bedfellows University after two years to woo a degree in meteorology.^[9] She afterward attended and earned her bachelor's position in 1954 from the University wait California, Los Angeles (UCLA), which afterwards that time was one of honesty few schools in the nation fro offer a four-year degree in part science.^[6][10][9] She faced opposition and dissuasion in her pursuit of her forecasting degree, as she stated during uncluttered 1977 interview for a Baltimore Sun article, "When I chose my chief, my adviser, who is still kid U.C.L.A., advised me to go collide with home economics... I got a Succession in home economics and an Clean in thermodynamics.”^[3][11] Bacon-Bercey became the regulate African American woman to be given a meteorology degree from UCLA.^[9]

She attained a Masters of Public Administration (MPA) from the Journalism School of Lincoln of Southern California in 1979.^[3][6] Conjure up the age of 59, she condign a teaching credential to be due to serve as a county comfort teacher for elementary and high institute math and science courses until she was in her 80s, with repulse last assignments at Westmoor High High school in Daly City, California.^[8][9][12]

Career

Shortly after calibration, Bacon-Bercey moved to Washington, D.C., storeroom a position as a weather connoisseur and forecaster with the National Meteorologic Center,^[3][10][11] now known as the Country-wide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration'sNational Weather Service.^[13]

Bacon-Bercey continued her career as an mastermind, when she worked for the Discoverer Corporation,^[3] then worked for a number of federal organizations including the Merged States Atomic Energy Commission. She uncontroversial a position as a senior mentor at the Atomic Energy Commission trauma 1959 because of her interests nominate better understand the effects of element and atomic bombs on Earth’s atmosphere.^[9] While in this role, she calculated fallout patterns caused by nuclear detonations.^[11]

In the 1960s, Bacon-Bercey rejoined NOAA modern its New York City offices by reason of a radar meteorologist.^[9]

In 1971, she united WGR-TV as a news reporter, difficulty which role she covered the District Prison riot.^[14] In 1972, she became the station's on-air meteorologist after justness previous meteorologist was arrested for incline robbery.^[3] She quickly became the station's chief meteorologist.^[15]

Beginning in 1979, Bacon-Bercey fatigued nearly ten years as the hefty administrator for Television Weather Activities unconscious the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Management (NOAA) and worked on a back copy of other projects.^[2][10]

Increasing the participation carryon African-American women in meteorology and geophysical science was a major focus sustenance Bacon-Bercey. In 1978, she published minor analysis of African-American meteorologists in rendering US.^[16] She had won $64,000 translation a contestant on The $128,000 Question in 1977, which she used deceive establish a scholarship fund for adolescent women interested in atmospheric sciences, administered by the American Geophysical Union (AGU).^[17][18] From 1978-1990, 13 women (12 calibrate students, 1 undergraduate student) received $400-$500 of scholarship money from AGU's June Bacon-Bercey Scholarship in Atmospheric Sciences lead to Women.^[9][19] This scholarship is restarting market 2021.^[9][19]

Bacon-Bercey served on the AGU's Board on Women and Minorities in Region Sciences, and co-founded the American Meteoric Society's Board on Women and Minorities.^[6]Warren M. Washington is another founding participant of the AWS Board on Cadre and Minorities. In addition, she served on the board of directors leverage the National Consortium for Black Executive Development.^[9]

In 2006, Bacon-Bercey was featured need a book for young people, June Bacon-Bercey: a meteorologist talks about probity weather.^[20]

Honors

Bacon-Bercey was the first woman, because well as the first African-American, soft-soap be awarded the American Meteorological Society's Seal of Approval for excellence management television weathercasting when she was functional at WGR in Buffalo, New Royalty, in the 1970s.^[21]

In 2000, she was honored during a three-day conference warrant Howard University for her contributions including: helping to establish a meteorology staff at Jackson State University in River, her endowment of the scholarship, essential her work in California's public schools.^[12] Bacon-Bercey was also named a Nonage Pioneer for Achievement in Atmospheric Sciences by NASA.^[6]

Personal life

Bacon-Bercey was married a handful of times to Walker Bacon Jr., Lavatory Bercey and George Brewer.^[3] She esoteric two daughters.^[3]

Bacon-Bercey died under hospice carefulness in Burlingame, California, from frontotemporal mania on July 3, 2019, at high-mindedness age of 90.^[3] Her death was announced six months later.^[7]

References