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June Bacon-Bercey, America's 1st female TV meteorologist, dies at 90
ByJohn Roach, AccuWeather personal writer
Published Jan 3, 2020 10:53 PM EET
June Bacon-Bercey was a pioneering meteorologist. She was the first African American woman meteorologist and the first woman television meteorologist in the US.
Dr. June Bacon-Bercey, a world-renowned meteorologist who was the first woman and African-American to be awarded the American Meteorological Society’s (AMS) Seal of Approval for excellence in television weathercasting, died over the summer, her daughter Dail St. Claire told AccuWeather.
The legendary forecaster died on July 3, 2019, at the age of 90, but her death went unreported until St. Claire reached out to AccuWeather with news of her passing late gods month.
Bacon-Bercey was named Minority Pioneer for Achievements in Atmospheric Sciences in 2000 and is remembered for a groundbreaking legacy that includes being the first African-Ameri
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First black woman to be a TV meteorologist, June Bacon-Bercey, remembered for being 'fierce advocate'
Dail St. Claire says she grew up being taught "never take no for an answer."
St. Claire is the daughter of groundbreaking African American meteorologist June Bacon-Bercey, who died in July at age 90. St. Claire finally announced her death last week while unveiling a scholarship to honor her legacy and help women pursuing careers in science in math.
"Many have asked why I waited so long to announce my mother’s passing. The truth – I was not ready to grieve," St. Clair said. "I was not ready to let go."
In 1955, Bacon-Bercey became the first African American woman to receive a degree in meteorology. Fifteen years later she became America’s first female TV meteorologist.
"She was a fierce advocate for women and minorities and a frequent speaker at events promoting women and/or minorities in science, space, engineering, meteorology and broadcast journalism," St. Claire told USA TOD
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June Bacon-Bercey, a pioneering meteorologist and passionate supporter of women and minorities in the sciences, was well versed in high-pressure fronts and absolute humidity. But it was her knowledge of the composer John Philip Sousa that catapulted her into the public eye in 1977 when she won $64,000 on a well-known television quiz show. Bacon-Bercey, who used part of her winnings to endow an AGU scholarship for women studying atmospheric sciences, passed away in July 2019 at the age of 90 from frontotemporal dementia.
Bacon-Bercey (née Griffin) grew up in Wichita, Kan., in the heart of Tornado Alley. The weather, stars, and planets all captivated the young Bacon-Bercey, said her daughter, Dail St. Claire. “She always called herself a nerd and a bookworm. She always asked why.”
There were no professional scientists in Bacon-Bercey’s immediate family, but she was surrounded by successful women. Her aunt Bessie, for example, was an entrepreneur who opened the first Black-owned beau