Memoirs & Diaries
A number of memoirs and diaries have been submitted by Society members for publication on the website. It now merits a dedicated page. All members are encouraged to submit similar material for archiving here, and linking to the Time Trek application.
Ronne Diaries and Logs: BAE II, USASE, RARE
The diaries and logs below are primary source documents generously provided by Karen Ronne Tupek to the Antarctican Society in August, 2023. They are identical to the material Karen provided to the U.S. Library of Congress. Authored by both Finn and Jackie Ronne, they span three expeditions and fifteen years of Antarctic history.
Finn Ronne Diary from Byrd Antarctic Expedition II: January, 1934 - June, 1934
Finn Ronne Diary from Byrd Antarctic Expedition II: July, 1934 - December, 1934
Finn Ronne Diary from Byrd Antarctic Expedition II: January, 1935 - September, 1935
Finn Ronne Diary from Byrd Antarctic Expedition II: October, 1935 - December, 1935
Finn Ronne Sledging Log from United States Antarctic Service Expedition: November, 1940
Finn Ronne Sledging Log from United States Antarctic Service Expedition: December, 1940
Jackie Ronne Diary for the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition: 1946 - 1948
Gordon Cartwright Saturday Evening Post Transcript (1958)
Gordon Cartwright was the first U.S. Exchange Scientist in Antarctica. He was a career meteorologist in the U.S. Weather Bureau who was selected by the Bureau’s Chief Scientist, Dr. Harry Wexler, to winter with the Soviets during the 1957-58 International Geophysical Year. He arrived at the recently-constructed main base of the U.S.S.R. Antarctic Program, Mirny Station, in January, 1957. He left Mirny in February, 1958. He was approached upon his return to the United States by the very popular Saturday Evening Post magazine to document his experience in an extended article that appeared in the October 18, 1958 issue. Rather than interview Cartwright, the editor gave him a tape recorder and asked him to recall not only his time with the Soviets but also the details of his life leading up to the assignment. Those tapes were then transcribed and used as the basis for the article. What appears below are the transcripts word-for-word which are more extensive than the final article. They reveal the insights of a remarkable man and his historic Antarctic experience. Also below is the actual Saturday Evening Post article.
Preliminary Remarks Family Background Joining the Expedition at Cape Town
Cape Town to Mirny Life at Mirny Outstanding Events
Casual Incidents Saturday Evening Post Article
Diary of Richard Berkley, Wilkes Station (1957-58)
Richard Berkley was magnetometry scientist at Wilkes Station during the IGY. He kept a diary during this time which his good friend Melvin Oakes, a retired physics professor at the University of Texas at Austin, has carefully transcribed over the past several years with the help of Lois Mallory. The diary is part of a tribute website to Berkley maintained by Oakes. The diary and the other reference material on the site should be of interest to many of our members, and to historians of this period in Antarctica. We are grateful to Dr. Oakes for generously allowing us to share a link to this website. To view the website click the title above or Click HERE. Copyright Melvin Oakes.
"Flight of the Puckered Penguins" by CDR James Waldron
USN Ret.Commander Jim Waldron was one of the early U.S. Navy VX-6 pilots who supported Operation Deep Freeze prior to the IGY. This is a detailed and fascinating account of what it was like to live and fly under some of the most challenging conditions on earth. Click the title above or Click HERE to view the document. Copyright James E. Waldron.
"Discovery Deep Traverse" by Dr. Edwin Robinson
"This file is a written account of the Discovery Deep Traverse (DDT), a one month late-season journey on the Ross Ice Shelf that four of us made in 1960 to test two new SnoCats, which were to be used on the upcoming McMurdo to South Pole Traverse. During the winter at McMurdo Station I wrote this account as a long letter to my parents. The family has kept this old letter written long-hand in pencil. This past year I finally sat down and typed it into this Microsoft Word file, correcting some misspelled words and finishing a few hastily written incomplete sentences. I added a one page preface,but otherwise it's the same report I mailed home in 1960. I also added some pictures to brighten the pages." Copyright Edwin Robinson. Click HERE to view the document.
"Little America III" by Joseph A. Daigle
Daigle was a young Navy radioman when he served with Admiral Byrd on the USS Bear during the 1939-41 United States Antarctic Service Expedition. He published this account of his experiences on that expedition in 1988. He was responsible for the vital communications link to the outside world while the Bear sailed in Antarctic waters. The book is filled with personal stories that give a glimpse of what life was like for Navy crewmen during USASE. Thanks to Janice Daigle Walz, daughter of Joseph A. Daigle, for graciously allowing the Society to post this memoir. Click on any link in the table below to go directly to individual chapters. Copyright Janice Daigle Walz.
Little America III
Ch. 8: Second Trip to West Base
Patrick "Rediron" McCormick Memoir
"Rediron" McCormick was a young Seabee who volunteered for the U.S. Navy Mobile Construction Battalion (Special) in support of Operations Deep Freeze I and II, 1955-57. Their assignment was to build permanent facilities in McMurdo Sound and the Geographic South Pole for the International Geophysical Year 1957-58. This is a detailed account of how the "can do" Seabees overcame great challenges to accomplish their mission. It is also a story of how a disparate group of young men formed friendships that have endured for their lifetimes. "Rediron's" fifty-page memoir is illustrated with numerous photos taken by the Navy and by the Seabees themselves. Click the title above or click HERE to read the memoir. Copyright Patrick McCormick.
Antarctic Recollection: South Pole (1957-58) by Art Jorgensen
Art Jorgensen wintered at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station as a meteorological aide in the IGY year 1957-58. He was a colleague and still a friend of our long-time Society newsletter editor Paul Dalrymple. He has been a Society member for many years. This is his illustrated recollection of that formative year in his personal and professional life. Click the title above or Click HERE or to read his story. Copyright Art Jorgensen.
IGY Diary of Dr. Ralph Glasgal
This untranscribed diary was kept by Dr. Ralph Glasgal, Aurora Physicist at the original Wilkes Station. It recounts his experiences at Wilkes Station and at other well-known Antarctic sites during the 1956-1958 International Geophysical Year. The diary is a glimpse into the excitement and adventure of that historic time through the eyes of a young man smitten with the Antarctic "bug."Dr. Glasgal 's recollections have been archived in Australia and Great Britain, and now is an important contribution to The Antarctican Society website, with Dr. Glasgal's permission. Click on any link in the table below to go directly to individual portions of the diary. Copyright Dr. Ralph Glasgal 2008.
"Mirny Diary 1958-59" by Morton J. Rubin
This detailed diary was contributed by Morton Rubin's brother Harry. He gives credit to Mr. and Mrs. Martin Sponholz for painstakingly deciphering and transcribing Morton's original handwritten manuscript. It is a fascinating glimpse of winterover life at an IGY Russian station. Copyright Harry Rubin 2008. All rights reserved. Click the title above or click HERE to view the document.
"Among the Magi" by Martin Sponholz
This memoir by Society member Martin Sponholz recounts his experiences at Plateau Station and the Japanese Showa Station in the 1960's. It has never been published, but has appeared on other websites in the past. We thought it deserved a home with the Antarctican Society, with Marty's permission. Click on any link in the table below to go directly to individual chapters. Copyright Martin Sponholz 1995.