Albert P. Crary
Albert Paddock Crary (July 25, 1911 – October 29, 1987), was a pioneer polar geophysicist and glaciologist. He was the first person to have set foot on both the North and South Poles, having made it to the North Pole on May 3, 1952 (with Joseph O. Fletcher and William P. Benedict) and then to the South Pole on February 12, 1961, as the leader of a team of eight. The South Pole expedition set out from McMurdo Station on December 10, 1960, using three Snowcats with trailers. Crary was the seventh expedition leader to arrive at the South Pole by surface transportation (the six others before him were—in sequence—Amundsen, Scott, Hillary, Fuchs, a Russian expedition in 1959/60 from Vostok base, and Antero Havola). He was widely admired for his intellect, wit, skills and as a great administrator for polar research expeditions.
Albert P. Crary | |
|---|---|
Albert Paddock Crary in 1959 | |
| Chief Scientist for the United States Antarctic Research Program | |
| In office 1960–1968 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Albert Paddock Crary July 25, 1911 Pierrepont, New York, United States |
| Died | October 29, 1987 (aged 76) Washington, D.C., United States |
| Resting place | Pierrepont Hill Cemetery, Pierrepont, New York |
| Spouse | Mildred R. Rodgers |
| Children | Frank J. Crary III |
| Parent(s) | Frank J. Crary and Ella Paddock Crary |
| Relatives | Oringe Smith Crary (great-great-great-uncle) Scott Crary (cousin) |
| Education | St. Lawrence University Lehigh University |
| Known for | Polar exploration |