CBS Legend Dies After Suffering Stroke: Gary England Was 85

One of the most legendary and influential TV meteorologists of all time has died.

Gary England, the first weatherman to adopt Doppler radar technology, died June 10 at a hospice center in Oklahoma City. He was 85.

The meteorologist was world-renowned for his work on television, being so effective at predicting storms in Tornado Alley that he often issued tornado warnings before the government’s National Weather Service could.

According to a Washington Post report, England was fiercely passionate about his job and kept himself in the loop regarding cutting-edge weather technology being used by the Air Force. He pushed for his station, KWTV, to purchase a Doppler radar—at the time, such a device was military-grade technology. Nowadays, Doppler radars are used on TV nationwide.

The shift wouldn’t have been possible had England not pestered his station so heavily to purchase the device, which is capable of pinpointing tornadoes “to an accuracy of 750 feet throughout the entire western two-thirds of Oklahoma,” England told the Post in 1985.

Bob Henson, a meteorologist and historian of the profession, said England’s work “set an expectation” for other meteorologists. “The National Weather Service is absolutely and passionately dedicated to tornado warnings as well. But Gary was the public face for many people. He was who they saw on their TV sets.”

In his four decades on TV, he was respected in his home state and nationwide for his groundbreaking work.

England is survived by his brother, his wife Mary, his daughter Molly, and two grandchildren.