He earned a bachelor of science degree in Chemistry in 1941 from Lincoln University and received high accolades as he graduated third in his class.
After his service in Tuskegee, Anderson became a squadron weather officer and trained fighter pilots across the country.
Anderson temporarily left the Army Air Corps after the war to pursue an opportunity in high polymer chemistry at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1946.
After receiving his master's degree, Anderson became a research and development officer for Watson Laboratories, supervising the works of many notable German scientists.
In 1955, Anderson decided to further pursue his academic studies and applied to the doctoral program in Meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.