She was much more than a weather lady

Bacon-Bercey focused on advancing the science of meteorology, particularly with women. That’s what drew her to a network game show, winning $64,000. She used that money to start a scholarship. Her family is working to restore the scholarship she started. Her fund helped 12 women receive scholarship assistance from 1978 through 1990, in the fields of geochemistry, physics, astronomy, meteorology and oceanography, and advancing to senior positions with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA, MIT and several television stations across the country.

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Bacon-Bercey grew up in Wichita, Kansas and graduated from Friends University. She earned her master’s degree at UCLA. Her career included working for NOAA, the National Weather Service (NWS), and eventually an NBC TV station in Buffalo in 1970 as a scientific news correspondent. Bacon-Bercey became an emergency replacement as a weathercaster one day and kept the job, becoming the station’s chief meteorologist.

“She wasn’t in Buffalo very long, but she made Buffalo broadcasting history as the first woman of color to be on a TV news anchor team here,” said Buffalo-area historian Steve Cichon. “She was also the first scientist to have the job here. She was an important trailblazer in many ways.”

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Bacon-Bercey was named Minority Pioneer for Achievements in Atmospheric Sciences in 2000 for being the first African American woman to receive a degree in meteorology (in 1955) and America’s first female TV meteorologist.

I asked her daughter, who is a successful businesswoman, what or who was the inspiration for her mother. She said it mainly came from within but she was always fascinated by the weather. She was also surrounded by strong women, her mother, her grandmother and was determined to make a name for herself in spite of being a woman and also African American. It didn’t hurt that she looked great on television. When I told her this column would appear on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday she was delighted and was sure her mother would be too.

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I received a message from Samuel Herzberg about his father, Hershel Herzberg, who is facing some recent health issues. Hershel Herzberg taught at Crestmoor and Capuchino high schools for 34 years and served another 16 as a substitute teacher. He was part of a generation of history/social studies/geography/economic studies teachers who became legislators. Leo Ryan used to substitute teach for him before becoming a U.S. representative. John Ward taught with him before becoming a San Mateo County supervisor. He taught with Gene Mullin before he became a state assemblyman. He even taught at Crestmoor High School when current county Supervisor Don Horsley was a math teacher. I asked Herzberg why he never ran for office and he said he loved teaching too much. He was assistant vice principal at Capuchino for a while but returned to chair the social studies department, a role he much preferred.

Samuel Herzberg said his father and his family also had an interesting history. “My father served in the U.S. Army Artillery Division in post-World War II Germany trying to prevent the Russians from invading. He lived in the SS soldiers quarters of Dachau at the time. He served in the very first group in the Peace Corps in Nigeria, where he met and married my mom who was also serving. He subsequently taught future Peace Corps volunteers at UC Berkeley and Morehouse College.”

His grandfather Bernard Herzberg worked with future San Francisco mayor Adolph Sutro in the real estate business before starting his own real estate and insurance business Herzberg and Son. His other grandfather Rabbi David Radinsky was the first to grow kosher grapes and oversee the production of dried fruit in the Napa Valley to be sold to the East Coast. He sold the wine grapes to his son in law Rabbi Mayer Hersh who made the first kosher wine in San Francisco.

Sue Lempert is the former mayor of San Mateo. Her column runs every Monday. She can be reached at sue@smdailyjournal.com.