Howard Gilbert McNeil (October 24, 1920–November 27, 2010) was a meteorologist[1] in Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas for more than twenty years from the mid 1950s to the mid 1970s. He was affectionately known throughout the Southwest as "The Old Weatherbird" because his broadcasts were seen all over the region as part of the regular programing at the superstation KFJZ, Channel 11.
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McNeil was born October 24, 1920 in Chicago, IL. He was the second of four children of Malcolm Gilbert McNeil and Frances Grant McNeil.
On February 20, 1943 he married his high school sweetheart, Dorothy Klaas. They had three sons, Scott, Brian and Bruce.
He was a graduate of The University of Denver, and was the first member of his family to earn a college degree.
He was an avid genealogist and traced his family back to the Mayflower.
He was a member of The Clan MacNeil of Barra and served as a Chief of the Scottish Clans of Texas and an officer of the Scottish Clans of the United States.
He and Dorothy also served in leadership positions of many volunteer organizations in the DFW Metroplex.
On the beautiful fall day, November 27, 2010, he passed away after a long battle with leukemia.
He began his career as a pilot trainee, but proved to be too tall (6'4") for the small planes and "washed out" because his legs "fell asleep."
Since he was not destined to fly he applied to the very selective Air Weather Service. He was accepted, and following extensive training he became a high-altitude forecaster.
On July 16, 1945 he was on board an observation plane flying near the Trinity Site when the first atom bomb was tested. He was to attempt to determine how far the nuclear fallout would be carried by upper level winds.
He was ordered to Korea at the beginning of the Korean War, where he served with distinction as a forecaster on the front lines.
Following his return from Korea he was ordered to Kindley AFB in Bermuda where he developed his reputation as an expert in forecasting the Jet Stream.
While in Bermuda he also became one of the early Hurricane Hunters who flew into the eyes of the storms to determine their characteristics.
Upon returning from Bermuda he left the Air Force to join a firm formed by Dr. Irving P. Krick, the legendary forecaster who helped plan the D-Day invasion during World War II.
McNeil traveled the world on behalf of the Krick Organization. He negotiated cloud seeding contracts—an early effort to cause rain in drought affected areas.
During the summer of 1955 he made a presentation to the business and civic leaders of the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
The entertainer Bing Crosby owned a local television station (KFJZ) and was in attendance at that meeting. He asked McNeil if he would join the station as one of the early television weathermen. McNeil accepted and moved his family to Fort Worth.
In the mid-1960s he resigned from KFJZ and joined another local weather personality, Harold Taft, at WBAP (now KXAS) television. They took turns doing the early and late news broadcasts for more than a decade.
Eventually he returned to Channel 11, which had become KTVT while he was gone.
Because of his experience and expertise he was asked to return to the Air Force. He accepted and was assigned to Carswell AFB as the Strategic Air Command's Chief Forecaster during much of the Cold War.
His primary responsibility was to lead the team that would advise bomber crews what weather conditions they would encounter should they be ordered to attack targets all over Asia, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.
Pilots began to realize that the Jet Stream had a major effect on a plane's speed, so McNeil was involved in planning major events such as long flights of Air Force One as well as most of the B-58 Hustler's successful attempts to set speed records during the 1960s.
He retired in the early 1980s and since then he and Dorothy traveled the world and enjoed spending time with their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and hundreds of friends.
Dorothy continues to reside in Fort Worth.