John Raymond Hope was born on May 14, 1919 in Stowell, Pennsylvania. He was a navigator in the Army Air Force in World War II. After returning to the states, he earned his degree in mathematics from the University of Illinois. He would go on to get his Masters degrees in meteorology.
Hope became a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Memphis in 1949, where he worked for 13 years. He was chosen to be a part of the spaceflight meteorology team for John Glenn’s famous flight in 1962.
In 1968, he became a hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center. He would work there for thirty two years. In addition to winning numerous awards for his forecasting, he won a prestigious award for co-writing a computer program that helped developing nations without a broadcast infrastructure to alert their citizens about approaching tropical cyclones.
Hope joined the team at The Weather Channel when it started in 1982. He was the Tropical Coordinator. His calm demeanor and professional approach made him a comforting presence during hurricanes. Known as “the man America watches when there is a hurricane,” Hope was a familiar and reassuring face to millions of Americans in coastal areas.
Did you know what Hope is responsible for the name of the third tropical storm of the 1969 hurricane season? Hope’s daughter was graduating from high school in 1969 when he added her to the list of hurricane names for the season. The third storm that year was Camille.
Heart disease began to plague him in 1997 and he semi-retired from The Weather Channel that year. Successful surgery made it possible for Hope to return to the cable channel for the 1998-2001 seasons. Sadly, Hope died on June 13, 2002 of complications from heart surgery. We still miss him today.
