June Bacon-Bercey was the first African-American to earn an undergraduate degree in meteorology from UCLA. Originally joining NOAA as a weather analyst and forecaster, Bacon-Bercey moved to the Atomic Energy Commission as a senior advisor. She was interested in the effects of hydrogen and atomic bombs on the Earth’s atmosphere, especially after she looked into the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. She worked on-air as chief meteorologist at WGR-TV in Buffalo and was the first female to receive the American Meteorological Society Seal of Approval. She was one of the founding members of the American Meteorological Society’s Board on Women and Minorities which helped encourage and support scientists from these underrepresented groups. When she won $64,000 from a tv-show, she used part of the prize to endow an AGU scholarship for women who were passionate about studying atmospheric sciences. She was dedicated to the environment, encouraged young scientists, and changed the face of meteorology.

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