John R. Toohey-Morales
John R. Toohey-Morales
College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
Tell us about what you’re doing with your life
I “rewired” two years ago, leaving the chief meteorologist post at NBC-owned station WTVJ in Miami to take on new work on my own terms. I still serve my former employer as a hurricane specialist from June to November, guiding audiences through tropical cyclone threats much like I’ve done my entire career. I’m also seeing increasing demand for forensic meteorology services, in which I serve as an expert witness in legal disputes where weather is a factor.
Semiretirement has allowed for my wife Carmen and I to travel extensively, often on Cornell Adult University trips. Our blended family includes three grown children, including our son John Michael (Cornell Class of 2018), and two beautiful grandsons.
What was your favorite class at Cornell, or the one you found the most useful?
The most useful thing I ever did on campus wasn’t a class. The meteorology department at the time was tiny. While the physics of atmospheric sciences was well taught, no weather forecasting class existed. Instead, students interested in becoming operational meteorologists gathered each weekday evening on the 11th floor of Bradfield Hall to analyze weather patterns and input entries into the forecasting contest. Results were tallied over each semester. The experience allowed me to hone my ability to predict the weather, and I won once or twice along the way!
What is your favorite memory of your time at Cornell?
I arrived at Cornell sight-unseen, so I was stunned by the beauty on and off campus when I arrived in the fall of 1980. In my frequent trips back, I always make time for a leisurely stroll, pausing to take in the quads, trees, historic buildings, gorges, and stellar views.
Which Cornell classmates do you keep in touch with?
Being class president means I keep in touch with a lot of folks—including obviously our very dedicated Class Council. Thinking back to those who I’ve maintained close contact with since graduation, I can list my Puerto Rican friends Elizabeth Rice, Elizabeth Suárez, Enrique Triay, and Melisa Quiñoy, and others like Carol Leister, Alan Baren, Melissa Jacobs, Jonathan Friedman, Ira Schulman, Brad Olson, and Neil Weissman.
How has your time at Cornell influenced you since you graduated?
Unless you’re extremely self-aware, you don’t realize what Cornell has given you until you spend a few years in the professional world. You try to do your best at your assigned task, and suddenly colleagues take notice. You get assigned more complex tasks, and you seem to do well at those too. Then you volunteer outside of work, starting off perhaps in a small committee, and within a few short years you’ve been thrusted into a leadership role in the organization. And so on. Cornell sharpened what was a blunt instrument into one that could do the greatest good—and for that I am immensely grateful.
What extracurricular activity or hobby from your time at Cornell was the most meaningful?
I’ll list two: rowing and radio. I learned a lot about myself during my short experience on the Cornell Crew, which started when I was picked out by a coach for being a tall and lean freshman on registration day at Barton Hall. While I didn’t last beyond sophomore year, lessons in teamwork, discipline, dedication and pain tolerance have stuck with me for a lifetime. Leaving crew opened the door for me to join WVBR, where I progressed from an accent-laden sportscaster to an afternoon-drive disc jockey on FM93 (a top-40 station at the time). I owe my success in broadcast news in good part to my jumpstart in media at the Collegetown Lynden Avenue VBR studio.
What does being a Cornell alumnus mean to you?
Representing Cornell has become a passion for me, from the Cornell Ambassadors Network, to becoming president of this Class of 1984, to now being elected to be a member of the board of trustees. I simply followed the lead of the founders of the Cornell Club of Puerto Rico, who I first met at an admitted students reception on the island. Their warmth and enthusiasm for our alma mater was palpable, and once I had graduated I immediately volunteered. The rest is history.
What are you most looking forward to at Reunion 2024?
In just 2 weeks I’ll be meeting and greeting so many of you. But what I’m looking forward to the most is showing my appreciation for the other active members of the Class Council that have helped shape these last 5 years of engagement with classmates. It was a tumultous span, including the pandemic which threatened to shut down all of our alumni activities. But the Class of ‘84 endured, and we found ways to connect, including several virtual gatherings and webinars. I’m especially grateful to David Goodman, Oscar Abello, Amy Brown Fraser, Kathy Dodd O’Brien, José Nieves, Terri Port, Christine Whaley, Janet Insardi, Kitty Cantwell, Carol Leister, Lindsay Liotta Forness, Nancy Law, and Joanne Jensen. As I rotate off my role as president, a new slate of class officers will be presented for approval to those in attendance at Reunion. You’re in good hands!