Dr Frederick Gale “Bud” Shuman

On Friday, July 29, 2005 in Fort Washington, MD, originally of South Bend, IN. the beloved husband of Elena Fragomeni Shuman; dedicated and loving father of Frederick Gale Dominick Shuman, Marianne Shuman Ferrin and Deborah Joan Shuman; brother of Richard Wayne Shuman, Margaret May Smith and the late Anne Esther Kenyon; grandfather of Michael Andrew and Anna Elena Ferrin. He is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.

FREDERICK GALE SHUMAN PIONEER OF WEATHER FORECAST SYSTEMS: - August 23, 2005

Frederick Gale Shuman, retired director of the National Meteorological Center whose early work with the U.S. Weather Bureau laid the foundation for how weather is predicted.

Mr. Shuman, who has been called a legendary scientist, worked for what was the U.S. Weather Bureau from 1941 until his retirement in 1981, and continued his research until 1986.

He was director of the National Meteorological Center, now the National Centers for Environmental Prediction, from 1964 until 1981.

He was the lead person in the early 1950s doing work on numerical weather prediction models, searching for methods that would allow meteorologists to issue extended weather forecasts and to predict severe weather days in advance.

Then, before the advent of more sophisticated computers, it was widely believed such efforts would never be put into practical application.

Today, with the evolution of the supercomputers used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the models remain the basis on which modern forecasting is done.

In 1954, Mr. Shuman became the first employee of the Joint Numerical Weather Prediction Unit, which brought together the interests and staffs of the U.S. Weather Bureau, the Air Force and the Navy.

Friends may call at the GEORGE P. KALAS FUNERAL HOME, 6160 Oxon Hill Rd., Oxon Hill, MD on Thursday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Friday, August 5, 10:30 a.m. at St. Mary's Catholic Church, Piscataway, 13401 Piscataway Rd., Clinton, MD 20735. Interment church cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Mary's Catholic Church.

08/16/2022 EJS