Frank Field (meteorologist)

Franklyn Field (born March 30, 1923)[1] is an American television personality and meteorologist who was on TV in New York City for five decades, reporting not only on the weather but also on science and health topics. He was instrumental in publicizing the Heimlich Maneuver to aid food choking victims.[2] Field carries the Seal of Approval of the American Meteorological Society.

Field was a resident of Montclair, New Jersey, before retiring to Boca Raton, Florida.[3]

Life and career

Field is of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage. The original family name was "Feld", which is German for "field". It was changed to Field to Americanize his last name. His parents emigrated to America in 1909; his extended family that remained in Europe perished during the Holocaust. Field returned on assignment from WCBS to search for remnants of his family and produced a one-hour special Journey of the Heart, which included an emotional interview with Elie Wiesel.

He was a first lieutenant and meteorologist with the 8th Air Force during World War II in the European Theater. His meteorological training was at Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Field holds a B.A. in geology from Brooklyn College, a B.S. in optometry from Columbia University, and an O.D. degree from the Massachusetts College of Optometry. He was on the faculty of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Department of Preventive and Environmental Medicine.

Field began his career in 1958 at WRCA-TV – which became WNBC-TV in 1960 – remaining there for over 25 years. He was friends with Johnny Carson and was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show. On August 12, 1984, Field moved to rival WCBS-TV, where he worked for 11 years. Later, he moved to WNYW-TV for two years before ending his weather forecaster career at WWOR-TV.

Field was noted for his science reports on new technology and medicines. In the 1970s and 1980s, he hosted a nationally syndicated program on health originating from WNBC, called Health Field, and anchored a similar health news program on WLNY for the North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System, called Medical Update.[4] He also did a documentary called Plan To Get Out Alive where he used a simulated house fire to show viewers how to survive that catastrophe. He won a local Emmy Award for his work. Dr. Field has now been replaced from Medical Update to retire in Florida.

Family

Field's son, Storm Field (b. 1948) was a meteorologist as well, following his father into weather forecasting. Storm Field joined WABC-TV in 1976 and became the station's chief weather forecaster shortly thereafter, staying on until 1991. Storm would join his father at WCBS the next year, with a humorous ad campaign employed by the station using puns and plays on both Frank and Storm Field's names. Storm Field eventually took over the chief meteorologist's role that his father held before him. He left in 1997 to become chief meteorologist at WWOR-TV where he again got a chance to work with his father. Storm Field presented a special in 2003 that highlighted his father's career.

Field's daughter, Allison, was a meteorologist for WCBS-TV. She also appeared in a few movies, playing reporters or newscasters.

Notes
  1. U.S. Public Records Index Vol 2 (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), 2010.
  2. Anderson, Susan Heller; and Dunlap, David W. " NEW YORK DAY BY DAY; THE HEIMLICH MANEUVER SAVES A PROPONENT", The New York Times, December 14, 1985. Accessed June 4, 2008.
  3. "WEATHERING 'RETIREMENT'", New York Daily News, October 30, 2006. Accessed June 4, 2008. "The man who once had a higher Q-rating, or popularity score, than famed newsman Walter Cronkite has officially retired to Boca Raton, Fla., but maintains a house in Montclair, N.J."
  4. http://www.northshorelij.com/NSLIJ/Medical+Update+TV
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