Weatherman Al Roker has been on our TV screens every time we watch TODAY, NBC’s morning television show, well, except for those few times he was in the hospital.
Roker is currently doing well health wise as far as we know, but he took to social media over the weekend to post a tribute to a fellow weatherman, a man who Roker credits with helping him learn “the ropes and the lay of the land” when he was first starting out. The weatherman he was talking about was Dr. Frank Field who passed away on July 1, 2023 at the age of 100.
Dr. Field worked at WNBC-NY as a weatherman when Roker landed a job as a weatherman at the same TV station. Their careers at WNBC-NY overlapped for about a year before Dr. Field took a job at a rival station, WCBS-TV.
This time working with Dr. Field seems to have made a lasting impact on Roker. On Instagram, Roker posted a black and white picture of Dr. Field and wrote an emotional caption to go along with the picture. Roker wrote, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Field family who lost their legendary dad, Dr. Frank Field. He was at WNBC when I started doing weekend weather, teaching me the ropes and the lay of the land.”
Then Roker called out another weatherman he used to work with, the late Willard Scott who was the weatherman at TODAY until he retired and Roker took over as the lead weatherman. Scott passed away in 2021. In his tribute to Dr. Field, Roker continued, “Gone at 100, I hope he and Willard are sharing a weather map, a laugh and some bourbon.”
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Many of Roker’s followers shared their own memories of Dr. Field in the comments of Roker’s post. One comment reads, “I grew up watching Mr Field. May he rest in peace.”
Another person wrote, “May He R.I.P. He was a trailblazer for many more to come.”
Dr. Field’s wife, Joan Kaplan Field, proceeded him in death earlier in 2023. Dr. Field is survived by his adult children, Storm Field and Allison Field. Both of Dr. Field’s children followed in his footsteps and are both currently meteorologists.
Watch the video below to learn more about Dr. Field’s legacy.
Rest in peace.
