September 14, 2001

Weather expert and local icon donates papers to Loyola

_Walter Cronkite may have been the most trusted anchor in America, but in New Orleans during hurricane season, Nash Roberts, Jr.'s, word was law. For more than four decades citizens of this city have relied on Roberts to tell them the latest and most accurate information about the threat of a storm. As most locals are aware, Roberts put his markers away for the very last time in July when he retired as WWL-TV's weather expert.

University President Bernard P. Knoth, S.J., hosted a special ceremony for him on September 7 to recognize the many dedicated years Robert has educated the viewing public about development, tracking process, and disastrous potential of hurricanes. During the evening, Roberts donated personal papers used to forecast hurricanes since 1947 to the Booth-Bricker Special Collections and Archives at the J. Edgar and Louise S. Monroe Library. His records, in addition to their scientific value, will greatly enhance the library's special collection of material relating to the field of communication.

The records include monitored reconnaissance aircraft reports to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla.; advisories and discussions with the National Hurricane Center; and advisories to the clients of Robert's meteorology service. The service advises oil and gas companies whose businesses are located in the area marshes, coastal waters and offshore and are especially sensitive to storms.

After earning a federal license as an instructor in meteorology, he taught at Loyola and Tulane universities in the early '40s. He joined the Navy in World War II, and as an ensign in 1943, he was sent to learn about early radar.

Commenting on his Loyola connections, Roberts said, "When I was a young man just getting into the meteorology field, Loyola gave me the opportunity to teach and this turned out to be invaluable experience. After the war, I came back for one semester to the physics department. Later, while on the Louisiana Board of Education, I looked out for Loyola and then joined the Loyola Library Visiting Committee. It seems I keep coming back to Loyola and have a real soft spot in my heart for it."

In early 1945, Roberts was selected as both navigator and meteorologist on Admiral Chester Nimitz's aircraft. Nimitz was the commander of the Navy in the Pacific Theatre of War. Looking for a way to sail a carrier fleet close enough to Japan to execute an air attack without being detected, an idea was suggested to sail the ships in behind a typhoon. Roberts was the first navigator and meteorologist to plot a typhoon by flying in the eye of one.

After World War II, Roberts moved back to New Orleans to start his weather service and he joined WDSU-TV in 1951. Over the next 22 years he established a reputation for his expertise and reliability in hurricane tracking and predicting. He joined the staff at WVUE-TV for four years. In 1978 he moved to WWL-TV, where he has appeared as the local expert when a hurricane threatened the area until July.

In 1984, Loyola honored Roberts with an honorary doctor of science degree. In donating his papers to Loyola, Roberts explained he "wanted them to be in a place where they could be of use to future generations for research, including in the field of forensic meteorology."

The Department of Special Collections and Archives preserves materials related to the history of Louisiana, the South, the Society of Jesus, and the university. The collection derives its identity largely from the Jesuit holdings, including the University Archives, the Archives of the New Orleans Province of the Society of Jesus, and the personal papers of outstanding Jesuits. Phil Johnson, WWL-TV's former editorialist, donated his papers to the collection in 2000.