Morton Barad

Morton L. Barad A widely-known and respected scientist died Saturday, January 16 at the age of 91. As a meteorologist, Dr. Barad was a pioneer in the field of atmospheric boundary layer turbulence (including what is known as "wind sheer") and the diffusion of pollutants (commonly known as "air pollution"). He was born in Cleveland, Ohio on May 30, 1918 and moved to New York City at the age of fourteen. He had two younger brothers: Lester and Harold, both now deceased. He received his BS in Mathematics and Statistics at City College of New York, and earned a Masters Degree in Education and Mathematics and a Ph.D. in Meteorology from New York University, where he also worked as a Research Associate in Meteorology. He taught mathematics in the Baltimore, MD school system and then served in World War II as a weather observer in the Pacific region and received a Letter of Commendation for the accuracy, efficiency and reliability of his forecasts. He rose to the rank of Captain before resuming a civilian career that included the job of Senior Meteorology Instructor for American Overseas Airlines. He continued his career as the head of the Experimental Research Group at the General Electric Company and was a visiting lecturer at the University of Washington. Dr. Barad joined the Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories in 1952 and in 1961 became the Director of the Meteorology Division, a position he held until 1980. In this role, he planned and directed research in a wide spectrum of disciplines including atmospheric diffusion of pollutants, satellite meteorology, radar meteorology, and numerical weather forecasting. His work also included research on severe hailstorms and tornadoes. In the 1960's, his lab did work that supported the U.S. space program and produced innovations for rescuing U.S. troops in poor weather. He guided and encouraged young scientists, helping them to advance their careers and kept in touch with them through the years. In 1981, he began a new career as a consultant to the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in Palo Alto, CA. With his wife, Winnie, he formed Barad Consultants and was President of that firm until his retirement in 1989. He was the author of many scientific research papers and was a member of numerous national and international study groups and committees. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, Advisory Committee to the Air Pollution Control Administration and was a U.S. delegate to the World Meteorological Organization. He was an associate editor of the Journal of Geophysical Research and the Journal of Applied Meteorology. He was a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society, a member of the Royal Meteorological Society (U.K.), the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Phi Beta Kappa. He enjoyed travel, music and sports. He was an avid reader of newspapers and closely followed current events. Dr. Barad was a resident of Belmont, MA for 43 years before moving to San Rafael, CA in 2003. He was a devoted and loving husband, father and grandfather. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Winifred Solomon Barad, two sons, Joel Barad of Pelham, NY and Seth Barad of San Rafael, CA, two daughters-in-law, Anne Tobe Epstein and Amy Barad, and three grandsons, Gordon, Jeffrey, and Ben. Funeral Services will be held Wednesday, January 20 at 2 p.m. at Mount Tam Cemetery, 2500 5th Avenue in San Rafael. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to the Alzheimer's Association.