BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFRICAN AMERICAN " REAR ADMIRAL EVELYN FIELDS " NOAA CORPS, RISES TO A PRESTIGIOUS MILITARY LEVEL : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "

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Rear Admiral Evelyn Fields, NOAA Corps, Rises to a Prestigious Military Level

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by Charles E. Boyd

Decisions made by a president that impact a nation often become historical by definition!  Thus, President Bill Clinton’s nomination, and subsequent confirmation by the U.S. Senate, of Evelyn J. Fields to become director of the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was historical by definition.  Along with her confirmation, came Fields’ promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral, which gave her the dual honor of being the first woman andAfrican American to serve in this position in the history of the NOAA.

Admiral Fields’ position places her responsible for both the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (composed of both NOAA Corps officers and civilians who operate and manage the agency’s fleet of research and survey ships and aircraft), and the NOAA Commissioned Corps (a small, elite corps of officers – all with college degrees in science, engineering, or mathematics – who serve within the environmental research programs of NOAA).  NOAA is an environmental science agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce that conducts research and gathers data about the global oceans, atmosphere, space, and sun, and applies this knowledge to science and service that touch the lives of all Americans.

Fields’ career began upon her commissioning as an ensign in the NOAA Corps in 1973, shortly after NOAA began recruiting women.  The Norfolk State University graduate was the first African-American woman to join the Corps and for the next 28 years, Fields would have many firsts as she carried out her duties and responsibilities.  Fields served in a variety of billets, both staff and operational, and served on the ships Mt. Mitchell, Peirce, and Rainier.  Fields was the first woman to command a NOAA ship, the McArthur! Her career successes have been many, but none as “personally” rewarding as the following three: being named one of the top 50 minority women in science and engineering in 1996 by the National Technical Association; receiving the Ralph M. Metcalfe Health, Education and Science award from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation in 1999, and, being awarded a Gold Medal by the U.S. Department of Commerce, its highest honor, for leadership in 2000.

Admiral Fields, the most senior woman in the NOAA Corps, sums up her career journey as a few hardships and many challenges, but looks back on it all as being good.  “Sometimes I think, my God, they really pay me to do this!  And, I get to make a difference,” Fields stated.  One can only admire her courage, ambition, and determination to make a difference and through God’s grace, she has!