Frank Field ( Franklyn Feld; March 30, 1923 – July 1, 2023) was an American television
meteorologist
A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
for five decades, reporting on the weather and science and health topics. He was instrumental in publicizing the
Heimlich Maneuver
Heimlich maneuver, also known as abdominal thrusts or Heimlich manoeuvre, is a first-aid procedure used to treat upper-airway obstructions (or choking) by foreign objects. American doctor Henry Heimlich is often credited for its discovery. ...
. Field carried the Seal of Approval of the
American Meteorological Society
The American Meteorological Society (AMS) is a scientific and professional organization in the United States promoting and disseminating information about the atmospheric, oceanic, and hydrologic sciences. Its mission is to advance the atmosph ...
.
Field was a resident of
Montclair, New Jersey
Montclair is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a commercial and cultural hub of North Jersey and a diverse ...
, before retiring to
Boca Raton, Florida
Boca Raton ( ; ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 97,422 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and it ranked as the 23rd-largest city in Florida in 2022. Many people with a Boca Raton Address, ...
.
Biography
Field was born Franklyn Feld on March 30, 1923, in
Queens, New York
Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...
, of
Ashkenazi
Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
heritage. His parents immigrated to America in 1909 and his last name was later Americanized to Field. His extended family that remained in Europe was murdered in
the Holocaust
The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
.
He was a
first lieutenant
First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment.
The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...
and meteorologist with the
8th Air Force
The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Forces S ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
in the
European Theater
The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main Theater (warfare), theatres of combat during World War II, taking place from September 1939 to May 1945. The Allies of World War II, Allied powers (including the United Kingdom, the ...
. After the war, he worked in optometry (earning a doctorate in the practice) before switching back to weather forecasting.
Field attended
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls nearly 14,000 students on a campus in the Midwood and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn as of fall ...
before the war, but did not complete his degree. He held a
B.S. in optometry from
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
and an
O.D. from the
Massachusetts College of Optometry.
He was on the faculty of the
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
The Albert Einstein College of Medicine is a Private university, private medical school in New York City. Founded in 1953, Einstein is an independent degree-granting institution within the Montefiore Einstein Health System.
Einstein hosts Doc ...
in the Department of Community Health. While there, he published some of the first air pollution studies.
Career
Field began his career in 1958 at WRCA-TV (renamed
WNBC-TV
WNBC (channel 4) is a television station in New York City that serves as the flagship of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Linden, New Jersey–licensed Telemundo s ...
in 1960), remaining there for over 25 years. He was a doctor of optometry (O.D.) before he became a meteorologist. On August 12, 1984, Field moved to rival
WCBS-TV
WCBS-TV (channel 2), branded CBS New York, is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the CBS network. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside Riverhead, New York–lic ...
, where he worked for 11 years. Later, he moved to
WNYW-TV
WNYW (channel 5) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the Fox network. It is owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division alongside Secaucus, New Jersey–licensed MyNetworkTV flagship WWOR ...
for two years before ending his weather forecasting career at
WWOR-TV
WWOR-TV (channel 9) is a television station licensed to Secaucus, New Jersey, United States, serving the New York metropolitan area as the flagship of the MyNetworkTV programming service. It is owned and operated by Fox Television Stations alon ...
.
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
WLNY-TV (channel 55), branded on-air as New York 55, is an independent television station licensed to Riverhead, New York, United States, serving the New York City television market. It is owned by the CBS News and Stations group alongside CBS ...
for the
North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System, called ''Medical Update''.
In 1988, Field hosted an educational video on fire safety and prevention, ''Plan to Get Out Alive'', produced by WCBS in association with
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...
and
First Alert
First Alert is the retail brand of American safety equipment manufacturer BRK Brands, Inc., established in 1976 and based in Aurora, Illinois, with a production plant in Juarez, Mexico. Products sold with the brand include carbon monoxide detecto ...
.
Personal life and death
Field's wife, Joan Kaplan Field, died earlier in 2023 before her husband, after 75 years of marriage. The couple had three children: son Storm and daughters Allison and Pamela.
Storm Field (born 1948) is a retired meteorologist who appeared on
WABC-TV
WABC-TV (channel 7) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the ABC network. Owned and operated by the network's ABC Owned Television Stations division, WABC-TV maintains studios in the Hudson Square neighborhood ...
from 1976 to 1991. His daughter, Allison Field, is a meteorologist as well and appeared for a time on WCBS-TV.
Frank Field died in Florida on July 1, 2023, at the age of 100.
Notes
External links
*
Obituary abc7ny.com. Accessed July 3, 2023.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Field, Frank
1923 births
2023 deaths
American men centenarians
Jewish American military personnel
United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II
Television meteorologists from New York City
Television anchors from New York City
People from Boca Raton, Florida
Mass media people from Montclair, New Jersey
Brooklyn College alumni
Brown University alumni
Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni
Columbia University alumni
Yeshiva University faculty
Scientists from New York (state)
American people of German-Jewish descent
United States Army Air Forces officers
21st-century American Jews
Military personnel from Montclair, New Jersey
Jewish centenarians