Legendary Oklahoma Meteorologist Gary England Dies at 85
The Oklahoma City, Oklahoma CBS affiliate said England kept Oklahomans informed for 41 years.
Upon his retirement in 2013, England was called the Oklahoma's Master Meteorologist by NPR, while The New York Times called him The Weather God of Oklahoma City.
'We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved Gary England passed this evening. Gary passed peacefully on the evening of June 10th, surrounded by his loved ones, including his wife of 63 years, Mary, and his loving daughter, Molly. Gary was proud to have protected Oklahoma from its deadliest storms. He will be deeply and forever missed,' his family said in a statement.
He was known for pioneering the use of technology in forecasting. In 1981, he became the first person in history to implement Enterprise Electronics Doppler radar for direct warnings to the public.
In 1990, England developed First Warning, an automated severe weather warning system that provided instant weather warning maps in the corner of the television screen. One year later, he created StormTracker, a system that projected the path of storms and the time of their arrival, a program that is now used nationwide.
England authored 4 books and was the subject of another. He appeared in more than 50 national and international severe weather programs in addition to the Steven Spielberg movie "Twister."
In 2006, England was a keynote speaker for the dedication of the new National Weather Center in Norman, OK.
As part of the Oklahoma Centennial celebration in 2007, he was immortalized by the sculpting of his bust, which honored '100 Heroes and Outlaws' of Oklahoma repute during the state's first 100 years.
England was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2013.
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