Remembering New England’s trailblazing Black military meteorologist
Written by Black Hot Fire Network on November 12, 2024
A New England meteorologist earned a place in the history books as a trailblazer in the U.S. Military during World War II, but Captain Wallace Patillo Reed might be one of the most important meteorologists you’ve never heard of.”Nobody knows what a trailblazer he is,” said Dr. William Ryan, a former professor of climate change at the University of Maryland and Pennsylvania State University.Ryan believes Reed’s contributions to the field of meteorology were so great that he established a fellowship at UMD, his alma mater, in Reed’s name and honor.“You can’t underestimate the importance of a role model,” Ryan said. According to historians at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and military records, Reed was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1919. In 1941, he graduated from the University of New Hampshire, where he studied mathematics.Around that time, the U.S. Military, still segregated, was shoring up its operations and needed thousands more forecasters to support efforts on the ground and in the air.That’s what led Reed to MIT, and eventually, the Air Corps Advanced Flying School in Tuskegee, Alabama.“Just seeing him as a captain in the Army Air Corps was a motivation and a source of pride,” said Ryan. “It’s hard to know what the impact was. But if it was for one person, then that’s enough.”Watch the story above to learn about Reed’s lasting legacy.
A New England meteorologist earned a place in the history books as a trailblazer in the U.S. Military during World War II, but Captain Wallace Patillo Reed might be one of the most important meteorologists you’ve never heard of.
“Nobody knows what a trailblazer he is,” said Dr. William Ryan, a former professor of climate change at the University of Maryland and Pennsylvania State University.
Ryan believes Reed’s contributions to the field of meteorology were so great that he established a fellowship at UMD, his alma mater, in Reed’s name and honor.
“You can’t underestimate the importance of a role model,” Ryan said.
According to historians at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and military records, Reed was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1919. In 1941, he graduated from the University of New Hampshire, where he studied mathematics.
Around that time, the U.S. Military, still segregated, was shoring up its operations and needed thousands more forecasters to support efforts on the ground and in the air.
That’s what led Reed to MIT, and eventually, the Air Corps Advanced Flying School in Tuskegee, Alabama.
“Just seeing him as a captain in the Army Air Corps was a motivation and a source of pride,” said Ryan. “It’s hard to know what the impact was. But if it was for one person, then that’s enough.”
Watch the story above to learn about Reed’s lasting legacy.
