Dr. Neil Frank, Ph.D. is an American meteorologist and former director of the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Florida. He was instrumental in advancing both the scientific and informational aspects of hurricane forecasting. He retired as Chief Meteorologist at KHOU-TV in Houston. [1][2][3][4][5] Dr. Frank announced his retirement effective May 2008 during his May 19 evening broadcast segment.[6]
Early history and family
Frank grew up in Wellington, Kansas, and attended nearby Southwestern College, where he played basketball, with hopes of becoming a coach. However, after receiving his bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1953 and doing some military work, he moved on to Florida State University, where he earned his Master's and Ph.D. degrees in meteorology.
Frank is married, to his wife, Velma, and they have three grown children named Pamela, Debra, and Ron. They have all married and Frank is the proud possessor of ten grandchildren: Caryn, Lisa, and Davis DeRuiter, Dustin, Brandon, Jordan, and Alyssa Tucker, and Mitchell, Korinne, and Forrest Frank.
NHC career
Prior to his graduate studies in meteorology, Frank served in the United States Air Force where he received training as a weather officer. In 1961, he began working as a forecaster for the National Hurricane Center. He was appointed director of the Center in 1974. While director, he also served as chairman of the International Hurricane Committee, which coordinates hurricane warnings with other countries North America. He also participated in meteorological experiments conducted off the African coast. In 1987, he was called to testify as an expert witness before the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. To date, Frank is the longest serving director of the NHC.
As NHC director, he was in the news frequently when hurricanes threatened, appearing in numerous interviews with then-CBS news anchor Dan Rather [7], whose early career included coverage of several hurricanes. [8]
In 1980, he helped developed an amateur radio program to provide public information to endangered areas and speed information exchange, a precursor to the weather radio system the National Weather Service now uses. The system was developed during Hurricane Allen, when the storm decimated parts of St. Lucia and then Brownsville, Texas. [9]
Broadcasting career
In June, 1987, Frank retired from the National Hurricane Center and joined Houston's CBS affiliate, KHOU-TV. He was already well-known to the Houston public from his reports as Director of the National Hurricane Center, particularly those during Hurricane Alicia, which came ashore near Houston in 1983. Frank was the chief meteorologist for the television station for over 20 years, receiving numerous awards and recognitions. In December 2007, Frank announced that he would retire the following year from broadcasting at KHOU-TV. Frank announced on the 10 PM news on Monday, May 19, 2008 that he would retire at the end of May. He will continue to provide the station with special weather projects and hurricane coverage.
Professional memberships and awards
External links
References
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