Loren W. Crow

Location of Interview
Collection Name

American Meteorological Society Oral History Project

Description

The American Meteorological Society Oral History Project (AMSOHP) aims to capture the history of the atmospheric sciences as told by scientists, administrators, and others working in the field. The collection is especially rich in interviews that capture the memories of scientists who launched much of the innovative meteorological research in post-war America.

To browse this collection and others, please visit the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Archives: https://aspace.archives.ucar.edu/

Interviewer
Date of Interview
04-21-1992
Audio
Abstract

On April 21, 1992, Julius London interviewed Loren Crow at his home in Denver, Colorado, as part of the AMS Taped Interview Project. Crow details his extensive career in meteorology, beginning with his education at Simpson College in Iowa, where he majored in chemistry with a minor in physics, followed by cadet training at Caltech during World War II. He recounts his experience as an instructor at Caltech and later deployment to Saipan and Guam, where he contributed to weather forecasting crucial to military operations, including the strategic bombing missions led by General Curtis LeMay. Crow discusses the technical and collaborative aspects of meteorological work on Saipan, including interactions with figures such as Colonel James T. Seaver. He highlights his post-war career with Dr. Irving Krick’s International Meteorological Consulting Service (IMCOS) in England, where he applied meteorology to industries such as energy forecasting and pigeon racing. Crow describes his consulting work upon returning to the U.S., including innovative studies on air conditioning sales and industrial cooling tower design for the Carrier Corporation. His role as Special Assistant for Industrial Meteorology to Bob White at the Weather Bureau, later known as NOAA, is noted for its impact on integrating meteorological applications into industrial and governmental practices. Crow reflects on various projects, including forensic meteorology cases involving severe weather events and his contributions to the Certified Consulting Meteorologist (CCM) program. He concludes with observations on the evolving relationship between public and private meteorology sectors and the importance of applied meteorology in industrial and environmental contexts.


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