30 Facts About Earl Ubell

Earl Ubell was an innovative science and health reporter, and editor primarily for the New York Herald Tribune and WCBS-TV from the late 1940s to the 1990s.

Earl Ubell attended New York City public schools, including Samuel J Tilden High School, where he was editor-in-chief of the school paper and remembered as: "Typical American Boy - Most likely to succeed".

Earl Ubell received his BA in physics as an A student from the City College of New York in 1948 and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa society.

Earl Ubell was married in 1949 to Shirley Leitman, a dancer.

At 16, Earl Ubell became a messenger at the New York Herald Tribune.

Earl Ubell was promoted to the night secretary of the managing editor.

Earl Ubell became science editor at the Tribune in 1953 and covered the significant stories of the 50s and 60s.

Earl Ubell reported on the Sputnik 1 launch, starting with the words: "Our planet has a new moon tonight".

Earl Ubell reported on many other scientific advances, including the development of the polio vaccine and the discovery of the structure of DNA.

Earl Ubell became well regarded for his ability to translate science into English that a layperson could understand and received several awards, including one from the American Association for the Advancement of Science for his reporting on Steady State theory in an article titled, "How Joke Begot Theory of Universe".

Earl Ubell spent summers working in the laboratories of scientists to increase his scientific knowledge.

Earl Ubell's research included work with noted scientists at the California Institute of Technology, Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, Weizmann Institute in Israel, and the Jackson Laboratory in Maine.

Earl Ubell's columns appeared in the Los Angeles Times beginning in 1959.

Earl Ubell worked at the Tribune until it merged with two other New York newspapers, triggering a long strike.

Earl Ubell became part of WCBS-TV's newscast team as health and science editor in 1966.

Earl Ubell was a weatherman at the station for part his tenure.

Earl Ubell completed his career at WCBS-TV with a two-part series about his own struggles with Parkinson's disease.

Earl Ubell revamped the news programing there by installing the first "beat" system in any local television news operation.

Earl Ubell added a 5 pm newscast and renamed the newscasts NewsCenter 4.

Earl Ubell had been asked to be science editor for WNEW radio and the two of them worked together while continuing to work for the Herald Tribune.

Earl Ubell wrote columns for the Village Voice during this period.

Earl Ubell was active in the National Association of Science Writers, an organization founded "to foster the dissemination of accurate information regarding science through all media normally devoted to informing the public" and served as president of the group.

Earl Ubell wrote several science books for children with photographs by Arline Strong:.

Earl Ubell was active in promoting the arts, particularly in his home state of New Jersey.

Earl Ubell served as chairman of the board and was involved in promotion and fundraising.

Earl Ubell served on the board until 2001 and as chairman of the board from 1966 to 1985.

Earl Ubell guided the foundation to greater use of technology, including shepherding the development of an IBM Selectric typewriter print ball for Labanotation and the computerization of Labanotation.

Earl Ubell served as vice president of the Parkinson's Unity Walk, an organization whose goal is to raise awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research to find a cure.

In 2008 an award in Earl Ubell's honor was established to be given to a journalist for outstanding contributions to the public understanding of Parkinson's disease and related movement disorders.

Earl Ubell died from the complications of Parkinson's on May 30,2007, a month shy of his 81st birthday.