Dr. John C. Freeman’s love of weather and science education touched the lives of many Houstonians, and others across the country.
Dr. John C. Freeman, native Houstonian and lifelong meteorologist and oceanographer, worked in the field of meteorology and weather research since 1941. Dr. Freeman’s love of weather and science education touched the lives of many Houstonians, and others across the country.
Born in The Heights, he graduated from Sam Houston High School and received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematical Physics from the Rice Institute in 1941. He then attended the California Institute of Technology where he earned a Masters in Meteorology in 1942. He received a Ph.D. in Meteorology from the University of Chicago in 1952.
Since 1941, Dr. Freeman has been a meteorologist and has conducted research for several major companies and organizations. Some of his most notable work includes being a forecaster and researcher for the U.S. Army Air Force, U.S. Weather Bureau, Texas A&M University, Gulf Consultants, and the National Engineering Science Company. He has also conducted research at the University of Chicago, the Institute for Advanced Study, and is Professor Emeritus at the University of St. Thomas. He was the founding Director of the Institute for Storm Research Houston, Texas and continued as director from 1966 to 1987. He was an Assistant Scout Master in the Cypress, Texas area for many years as well as a charter member of the Jersey Village Volunteer Fire Department.
Dr. John C. Freeman was a Certified Consulting Meteorologist and Fellow of the American Meteorological Society. Dr. Freeman was also a member of the American Geophysical Union, the Marine Technology Society, and the National Council of Industrial Meteorologists.
Dr. Freeman’s research work has been at Weather Research Center since 1987. Most of his final research before his passing in 2004 concerned the orbit of the Sun about the center of gravity of the solar system, and the affect of that orbit on sunspots and the Earth’s long range weather patterns.
Of his past research most notable would be his continuing development of numerical models for use in weather forecasting. Today’s computer models for weather prediction would not be possible without the work of the team he was a member of in 1950 at the Institute for Advanced Study. The team used the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer) at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Md. to make the first successful computer forecasts in 1950. Work continues today to define and predict the weather using mathematical equations. In 1950, a twelve-hour forecast was the goal. Models today predict weather for the next 14 days. Dr. Freeman was the last surviving member of that team and was honored for his contributions on the 50th anniversary of Operational Numerical Weather Prediction and the creation of the Joint Numerical Weather Prediction Unit held at the University of Maryland in June of 2004. The Joint Numerical Weather Prediction Unit was created in 1954. He also was instrumental in the development of The Texas Radar Tornado Warning Network in 1954.
In 1953, Dr. Freeman became an Associate Professor and Research Meteorologist at Texas A&M University at College Station, TX. He helped found the department that today is the Meteorology Department at Texas A&M University. In 1959 Dr. Freeman founded the Meteorology Department at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Tx. From 1959 until 1990, as a Professor at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, hundreds of students enjoyed his basic meteorology course given for non-meteorology students. Hundreds of other meteorology students benefited from his easy to understand explanation of weather and math.
Dr. Freeman has been associated with several well-respected organizations in the science community. From 1975 to 1976 he served as Chairman of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) Applied Meteorology Committee. Dr. Freeman was President of the National Council of Industrial Meteorologist from 1977 to 1978. He was the Chairman of the Marine Technology Society in 1970 and a scholarship has been established in his name at the Houston Chapter.
Dr. Freeman was instrumental in re-energize the Houston Chapter of the American Meteorological Society and the Marine Technology Society. Dr. Freeman served as chairman of both these organizations.
Dr. Freeman received the following awards:
- Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Advancement of Applied Meteorology, 2003 from the American Meteorological Society.
- Elected a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society – January 1978
- Certified Consulting Meteorologist – American Meteorological Society
- Outstanding Achievement for 1961 from the American Meteorological Society jointly with Archie M. Kahan, for organizing the Texas Tornado Radar Warning Network.
- Meisinger Award for 1951, from the American Meteorological Society jointly with Morris Tepper for work in hydraulic analogies to meteorological phenomena.
