Rear Admiral Evelyn Fields
*Photo Courtesy of NOAA
I constantly look at AccuWeather to check out the weekly forecast. I was surprised to see a storyline by AccuWeather staff writer Ashely Williams. She wrote an article titled, “These Trailblazers Were America’s First Black Meteorologists. The Tuskegee Weather Detachment, made up of 15 men, formed on March 21, 1942, originally organized as part of the Tuskegee Army Flying School, according to the American Institute of Physics” (from https://www.accuweather.com/)
Another Accuweater staff writer wrote about Evelyn Fields, who was the first woman and first African-American to be director of NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, saying it was “the ultimate challenge of my career.” She also was the first woman and African-American to command a ship in the United States uniformed services for an extended assignment, taking charge of the research vessel McArthur in 1989. And Fields was among the first group of women to join NOAA’s officer corps in 1973, the first African-American woman to reach the rank of rear admiral and, at one point, the highest-ranking officer in the corps. (from https://www.accuweather.com/)
June Bacon-Bercey was the first African American to be trained in the field of meteorology in the United States. (from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_Bacon-Bercey) She faced opposition and discouragement in her pursuit of her meteorology degree, as she stated during a 1977 interview for a Baltimore Sun article, “When I chose my major, my adviser, who is still at U.C.L.A., advised me to go into home economics… I got a D in home economics and an A in thermodynamics.”[3][11] Bacon-Bercey became the first African American woman to be conferred a meteorology degree from UCLA.[9]
The storm on January 31st thru February 2nd impacted our area and was a whopper! Although there was criticism about snow removal in some parts of Perth Amboy, I have to give kudos to the Perth Amboy DPW, and any other departments or individuals involved in the snow removal on Smith Street. I know for a fact, because I saw them with my own eyes that by late Thursday morning, Smith Street was closed. Cars were towed, and snow was removed not only from the street, but from the sidewalks and curbs. It was a pleasure to open the passenger side car door on Smith Street (on February 4th) and not be greeted by a mound of snow. I don’t know where they put that snow, but I congratulate them on a clean sweep. I can only tell you about the parts of Smith Street that I personally walked on. That would be the intersection of Smith and High Streets to Smith and Maple Streets.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t long after that we got hit by a second storm which compounded the cleanup. I also have to give kudos to Woodbridge Township who cleaned up Main Street completely of snow on the sidewalks and the curbs by Friday, February 5th so when people departed on the passenger side, they were not impeded by anything.
I know it is exceedingly difficult for towns to do a snow removal after having so much snow. People will complain about their street not being cleaned up. But your business district streets and main arteries are your lifeline, especially when people have to use city resources to pay their bills. When you depart your vehicle, it is important that passengers can get out on their side and not have to depart on the driver’s side.
June Bacon-Bercey
*Photo Public Domain
On February 8, funeral services were held for Pastor Gerak of the First Baptist Church of Perth Amboy who recently passed away. I had intended only to pay my respects to the family, but something made me decide to stay for the service. February 8th is also my late father’s birthday and maybe that is why I was compelled to stay.
To me, the most important part of a funeral or home going service are when family members or friends speak. It did my heart good to hear the glowing remarks made by Pastor Gerak’s children. The night before the funeral, one of his sons wrote a special song about his dad which he performed with one of his brothers while he strummed the guitar. Pastor Gerak’s daughter and another son sang one of Pastor Gerak’s favorite songs. The children also spoke about their childhood memories of their dad. The children spoke about how he was always there for them, their mom, and any family members or friends. They never heard one bad word come out of his mouth and he always took the Lord’s word literally and expected others to do so.
It was a service befitting who Pastor Gerak was. You could tell how special he was when the first one to speak was his daughter-in-law who first attended Gerak’s church at the age of 12. It made a huge impact on her life. At the end of her remarks about her father-in-law, she wanted to thank the Lord for giving her the strength to speak those words.
There were also sprinkles of humor throughout the service. Pastor Jose Santos told a story when Pastor Gerak invited him and another minister on a fishing trip. After they were ready to go back to shore, the motor wouldn’t start after several attempts. Santos said he and the other pastor were in a panic mode, but Gerak just took that extra time to catch more fish, and didn’t have a care in the world.
He also told a story that Pastor Gerak’s sister had told him when Pastor Gerak was about 10-11 years old.
Pastor William Gerak
1948-2021
Gerak’s sister, his sister’s friend, and Gerak went ice skating on a frozen pond. Suddenly, the ice gave in and Gerak was submerged up to his shoulders. The sister’s friend gingerly crawled into the spot where Gerak was and she pulled him out to safety.
I guess the Lord knew that Gerak had many important work to be done and it wasn’t his time.
Another story that was told is when Pastor Gerak was teacher at an elementary school. At the end of the year, students would give a gift to their teachers. When someone asked Pastor Gerak what was one of the most memorable gifts he ever got from a student, he responded quickly. Twin girls in his class said they had a special gift for him, but requested that he bend down to their level. When he did so, they both gave him a kiss on the cheek. What a special gift.
It was a home going celebration we all wish we could have. C.M.
The Tuskegee Weather Detachment
*Photo Courtesy of the United States Air Force
