March 30, 1923, 100 years ago: Franklyn Feld is born in New York. We know him as Dr. Frank Field. The U.S. Army Air Force veteran of World War II has a B.A. in geology from Brooklyn College, a B.S. in optometry from Columbia University, and an O.D. degree from the Massachusetts College of Optometry.
But he’s not, as my mother once said, just an eyeglass fitter: He’s a real doctor. If you don’t believe me, take the word of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in The Bronx, where he taught in the Department of Preventive and Environmental Medicine.
From 1958 to 1984, he was the chief weatherman on WNBC-Channel 4 in New York, frequently hosting science- (often medicine-)based half-hour specials on weekends. From then until 1995, he held the same role at WCBS-Channel 2, later serving at WNYW-Channel 5 and WWOR-Channel 9, before retiring to Florida.
On July 3, 1978, "Doctor Frank" predicted beautiful weather for the 4th of July, perfect for going to the beach, attending parades, having backyard cookouts, and watching fireworks at night. Instead, on the 4th, it rained. It absolutely poured. Beaches were empty. Macy's, the department store that sponsored the City's main fireworks display, canceled it. More phone calls flooded the switchboard at 30 Rockefeller Plaza than at any time since the Heidi Bowl 10 years earlier, all of them angry at Frank.
He had a sense of humor about it, showing up for the 6:00 broadcast of what was then known as NewsCenter 4 with a noose around his neck, suggesting that people wanted to hang him for getting the big holiday forecast so wrong.
But the rain turned out to be a good thing: The entire Northeast got soaked, so the Yankees' scheduled game was postponed. That game was supposed to be against the Boston Red Sox, at Fenway Park. The Red Sox were healthy and leading the American League Eastern Division. The Yankees were battling injuries. Including the previous night's game, they were 2-4 against the Red Sox that season, and it would be 2-6.
But this game was postponed to September 7, making a 3-game series at Fenway a 4-game series. That turned out to be critical: By that point, the Yankees were healthy and streaking, and the Red Sox were injured and reeling. Unlike the Yankees, they didn't have a bench good enough to keep them afloat. And the Yankees swept that 4-game series, which became known as the Boston Massacre. The teams ended up tied for 1st place, and the Yankees won a Playoff for the Division title, which became known as the Bucky Dent Game, and went on to win the World Series.
Maybe George Steinbrenner should have ordered a World Series ring for Dr. Frank Field.
His son, Elliott David Field, went into the family business, and became known as Storm Field. From 1976 to 1991, he was the lead weatherman on WABC-Channel 7, competing with his father. Later, at both Channel 2 and Channel 9, the Fields worked together. Storm retired in 2007.
Storm and Frank, at Frank's home in Boca Raton, Florida,
in 2019. Frank was 96 years old.
Frank turns 100 today. Storm is 74.