June Bacon-Bercey, Introduction

A life-long lover of science, and having grown up in Tornado Alley, June Bacon-Bercey knew early on that she wanted to study meteorology. Bacon-Bercey earning an undergraduate degree in meteorology in 1954 from UCLA, one of the few schools offering an atmospheric science degree at the time, becoming the first African-American woman from the school to do so.

After graduating, she moved to Washington, D.C. to become a weather analyst and forecaster with the National Oceanic and atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service.

By 1959, Bacon-Bercey’s interests had gone in a new direction: studying the affects of atomic bombs on Earth’s atmosphere. She accepted a position as a senior adviser at the Atomic Energy Commission, though rejoined the National Weather Service as a radar meteorologist in the early 1960s.

From there, she would go on to work as a TV meterorologist in Buffalo N.Y., and was awarded with the Seal of Approval by the American Meteorological Society in December 1972, the first woman to do so, honoring her on-air forecasts.

Driven to ensure others that came after her would be able to pursue their own interests in science, Bacon-Bercey wrote articles promoting the need for opportunities for girls and racial minorities to explore STEM fields, namely through science fairs.

This came to a head in 1977, when she took home $64,000 after appearing on the quiz show, “The $128,000 Question.” With this money, she established the June Bacon-Bercey Scholarship in Atmospheric Sciences for Women. The scholarship was offered from 1979 to 1990, though will be reinstated in 2021 to continue Bacon-Bercey’s work.

Even after her win, Bacon-Bercey was disinterested in stopping her work, and taught math and science in elementary and high schools. She continued to earn numerous awards up until her passing in 2019.

https://eos.org/features/june-bacon-bercey-pioneering-meteorologist-and-passionate-supporter-of-science