From Biological Warfare Containment to Fighting Smog, Panorama Resident Retired Female Meteorologists have seen their Share of Adventure

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By Cara Bertozzi

panorama residents
Betty worked with women and children as a Policeperson volunteer when she was just 17. She was not allowed to work on cases involving men.

Betty Jankus and Charlotte Hopper, by the simple pursuit of their dreams, are no strangers to attracting attention for challenging mainstream expectations. These two remarkable ladies have a storied friendship dating back more than 50 years, culminating in their retirement in 1990 at Lacey’s groundbreaking retirement community, Panorama.

Charlotte was a member of the WA State Department of Ecology team in the early 1960s that performed the environmental impact study on the forward-thinking proposed development of an “age-in-place” campus that caters to active retirees and lifelong learners. When it came time to retire, the well-traveled duo settled on a two-bedroom house they shared with two cats and two dogs, who needed outside access, and established themselves as active community members in beautiful, temperate Washington State.

In fact, weather played a starring role in the careers of both women. Charlotte was one of the first women to earn a Meteorology degree from the University of Washington, and Betty was the second female to do so at UCLA. Betty later earned a Master’s degree in Education from UW as well. So, how did these two scientists who came of age in the 1930s – both women will celebrate their 90th birthday in the next year – carve out successful careers in a male-dominated field and find themselves on the cutting edge of multiple scientific revolutions?

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Charlotte (center) attended her OCS graduation with her mother and brother (left) before leaving on assignment for Japan.

When Betty was eight years old, growing up in Connecticut, her father’s friend gifted her with an old microscope and an oak box full of slides. It was an unusual gift for a little girl at the time, but Betty made a paradigm-shifting realization under the lens of that tool: just because you looked at something didn’t mean that you saw it. Betty would later review the seminal book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson that further revealed the complex network of relationships that govern life, such that understanding only one piece of the puzzle as a specialist gives a remarkably limited view of reality.

Betty originally pursued a career as an accountant, but after a decade of working in the field and being passed over for promotion, she determined it was time to move on. The Air Force was recruiting women for limited roles in 1952, and Betty joined as a weather observer, having been fascinated by cloud formation as a young child. She loved the challenge of dealing with forecasting’s 140-something variables, and after her time in service, she used the GI Bill to complete her degree and earn full status as a meteorologist.

While attending UCLA, Betty used to watch the pollution form and accumulate from the School of Meteorology roof after a storm. There were no emission standards at the time, and the city founders had established industry zones along the shore. The basin-like area naturally trapped inefficient fuel burning byproducts, necessitating alerts during which time speed limits would be decreased and schools would cancel recess. The black smoke looked like money to executives, but the scientists were collecting data that would change the way we think about pollution. Charlotte was also involved in research with the Los Angeles County Pollution Control District that defined smog (smoke plus fog), ultimately resulting in the Clean Air Act.

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Betty (left) and Charlotte (right) are enjoying life at Panorama and can be found volunteering around town or hanging out at Fish Tale Brew Pub.

In contrast to Betty, Charlotte grew up in the small town of Livingston, Montana and started pharmacy school in 1942 after completing high school. Shortly afterward, the US was pulled into World War II, which seemed much more exciting and relevant.  Charlotte withdrew from school and enlisted in the Navy WAVES. She was sent to aerographer school, which began her introduction to meteorology. Notably, her familiarity with weather codes made her a prime candidate to assist in the decoding of Japanese secret messages.

When WWII ended, Charlotte left the service and pursued her degree. However, she was recalled for the Korean War, and she took the opportunity presented by the dearth of officers left behind during the war. Charlotte completed officer candidacy school in 1951 and was then assigned as the only female Air Force weather officer in occupied Japan.

Under MacArthur, a special forecast section was established in Japan, and it was used to predict the weather and determine the safety of flight plans each day over Korea. The tall, red-headed female officer who was in charge of these important calculations caused quite a stir. Having a female at the base was so unusual that Charlotte had to drive two miles to her living quarters until an outhouse, a small improvement, was constructed on the compound. Betty laughs when she tells me I should write a book on how the lack of bathroom facilities was a big factor in determining which jobs were available to women at the time.

The paths of the two women crossed in 1962, when Betty was working at Dugway Proving Ground monitoring classified chemical and biological warfare tests. Weather conditions had to be watched carefully to ensure containment of dangerous materials. Betty wanted to increase data point collection 600-fold and take advantage of the move into the digital age. As the contract manager, she sourced MRI, a meteorology research company, to design new instruments and divine the calculus necessary for the precision measurements. Charlotte was on the team assigned to the project, and the two ladies immediately developed an affinity and professional respect for each other.

They would keep in touch and travel together over the next 50 plus years and even shared homes on and off when they were working in the same area. After initially retiring in separate locations, Betty and Charlotte agreed that it would be more fun to share their retirement together and made Lacey their final home.

They still giggle when they think about how little we know about the world we live in and how the weather will impact us. This complexity that is inherent in all science continues to evoke joy and wonder for this dynamic duo, who can often be found admiring the weather from their well-positioned matching chairs.

 

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