Dr. Neil Frank, Champion of Climate Honesty, Has Passed

Dec. 27—Former independent candidate for U.S. Congress Joel Dejean and his friends in Houston are saddened by the passing of Dr. Neil Frank—meteorologist, truth seeker, and genial friend of the Texas LaRouche movement. Dr. Frank died on Christmas Eve at the age of 94.

For over 20 years, from 1987-2008, Dr. Frank was dean of Houston TV weathermen, presenting his forecasts twice each evening—6:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.—on the CBS News affiliate KHOU-TV. His analyses were always calm and clear, even when the turbulent Texas weather was not. CBS national news anchor Dan Rather frequently invited Dr. Frank onto his program to comment on extraordinary weather events. When the CO₂/climate change hoaxsters began to assert their pagan orthodoxy in the 1980s, Dr. Frank was a consistent voice of principled opposition. It was this scientific integrity against a falsified “consensus” that moved him to take an interest in the LaRouche movement’s scientific work, and to endorse Joel Dejean in his 2022 independent bid for U.S. Congress in Texas’ new 38th district.

Prior to coming to Texas, Neil Frank served in the U.S. Air Force. In 1961, he joined the 1961 National Hurricane Center in Florida. By 1974, he had become its director, as weather satellites and other new forecasting technology were first coming to the fore. In fact, it was under Dr. Neil Frank’s direction that the first probability system was used to predict where 1983’s Hurricane Alicia was most likely to strike.

In the context of the 2021 COP26 Climate Summit, Dr. Frank endorsed both the Climate Intelligence Group’s refutation of the summit’s agenda, as well as the Schiller Institute Statement authored by Helga Zepp-LaRouche, “It Is Not Climate Change That Will Destroy Us, But Our Toleration of an Oligarchy That Promotes Climate Lies.” When Joel Dejean commenced his 2022 congressional campaign, in league with Diane Sare’s simultaneous candidacy against Senator Chuck Schumer (D) in New York, Dr. Frank met with Dejean and readily endorsed him. He also took part in the first of five Dejean for Congress webcasts, in a dialogue with the candidate on climate issues. The video of this exchange is now archived in the U.S. Library of Congress, along with the entire campaign website, as an historic record of Joel Dejean’s unusual campaign.

Until the end of his life, Dr. Frank was active with both the Heartland Institute and the CO₂ Coalition, speaking at many of their public events. Our most recent exchange with him was at a stormy meeting of the Houston/Leipzig Sister City Association last year. Following Dr. Frank’s friendly but blunt remarks, Dejean intervened forcefully from the floor: “If you guys are afraid of carbon dioxide, why is Germany also shutting down nuclear power?” he demanded. This brought the Q&A to an abrupt close, but Dejean and the good doctor shared a hearty laugh afterwards.