OKLAHOMA CITY –
A native of Seiling, Oklahoma, England graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in math and meteorology. He served in the Navy for 3 years before turning to broadcast TV.
England is an internationally recognized authority on severe weather. In 1981, he became the first person in history to implement Enterprise Electronics Doppler radar for direct warnings to the public, making him directly responsible for changing severe weather coverage across the nation and around the globe.
In 1990, England developed First Warning, an automated severe weather warning system that provided instant weather warning maps in the corner of the television screen. One year later, he created StormTracker, a system that projected the path of storms and the time of their arrival, a program that is now used nationwide.
England authored 4 books and was the subject of another. He appeared in more than 50 national and international severe weather programs in addition to the Steven Spielberg movie “Twister.”
In 2006, England was a keynote speaker for the dedication of the new National Weather Center in Norman, OK.
As part of the Oklahoma Centennial celebration in 2007, he was immortalized by the sculpting of his bust, which honored ‘100 Heroes and Outlaws’ of Oklahoma repute during the state’s first 100 years.
England’s contributions have been widely recognized, including three Emmys and the National Edward R. Murrow Award for Best in the Nation in the category of breaking news and weather, as well as dozens of local and regional acknowledgments.
England was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2013.
England kept Oklahomans informed for 41 years on News 9.
Our thoughts go out to his wife, Mary, daughter Molly, and their entire family.
Gary also leaves behind granddaughters, Cassidy and Chloe.
A statement from the family reads:
“We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved Gary England passed this evening. Gary passed peacefully on the evening of June 10th, surrounded by his loved ones, including his wife of 63 years, Mary, and his loving daughter, Molly. Gary was proud to have protected Oklahoma from its deadliest storms. He will be deeply and forever missed.”
Gary was 85 years old.
We’ll have much more honoring Gary’s life and legacy in the coming days on News 9.
