- Harry Wexler
Harry Wexler (
March 15 ,1911 , Fall River, MA –August 11 ,1962 ) was an Americanmeteorologist .He attended
Harvard University , and in 1939 he was awarded aPh.D. in meteorology from theMassachusetts Institute of Technology .He worked for the
United States Weather Bureau from 1934 until 1942, then served as a Captain to aLieutenant Colonel with the weather service of the Army Air Corps duringWorld War II from 1942 until 1946. OnSeptember 14 ,1944 ,Major Harry Wexler became the first scientist to deliberately fly into ahurricane . He accompanied a flight of aDouglas A-20 "Havoc" that flew into thehurricane to collect scientific data.In 1946 he returned to the U.S. Weather Bureau, becoming Chief of the Scientific Services division. As head researcher, Dr. Wexler encouraged a study into the atmospheres of planets other than the
Earth . He is particularly noted for his work on the use ofsatellite s for meteorological purposes, the development of theTIROS-1 . He also studied the use of computers for weather prediction and modification. He was chief scientist for a U.S. expedition to theAntarctic for theInternational Geophysical Year .From 1959 until 1961 he proposed and promoted the idea of a "World Weather Watch". In 1961 he served as the lead negotiator for the U.S. in talks with the
U.S.S.R. concerning the joint use of meteorological satellites.He continued working at the bureau until his death in 1962. He was survived by his wife Hannah, and her daughters Susan and Libby. His wife donated his papers to the
Library of Congress in 1963.Honors
Wexler crater on the
Moon wasnamed after him. Volume 91, issues 10-12 of the "Monthly Weather Review " were published as memorial issues for Dr. Wexler. In 1977, theUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison founded the "Harry Wexler Professorship of Meteorology".External links
* [http://www.history.noaa.gov/giants/wexler.html Dr. Harry Wexler]
ources
* Who was Who in America, vol. IV, 1961-1968, p. 1000. - Chicago : Marquis-Who's Who, 1968.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.