Materials are arranged in the order created during the interview process with the first file containing earlier dated items used to prepare for the interview as well as a later obituary that references the interview.
Accession No. PA.2000.0021: Gordon Cartwright, 2000 May
[identification of item], Gordon Cartwright Oral History, SPEC.PA.56.0039, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Archival Program, Ohio State University
Contains audiocassettes.
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Processed by: Devon Boerman, 2019 December; Finding aid written by: Devon Boerman, 2019 December
Gordon Cartwright (1909-2007) was a meteorologist who began his career with the United States Weather Bureau (USWB) in 1929. Cartwright served in positions of increasing responsibility witnessing developments in meteorological data collection and forecasting. These developments included the establishment of a weather forecast system during World War II, the advent of satellites for weather reporting, the creation of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from the USWB and other agencies, and the USWB's role in the Arctic and Antarctica. From 1946-1950, Cartwright helped manage and oversee Joint Arctic Weather Stations with the Canadian Weather Service in Canada. During the International Geophysical Year (1957-1958), Cartwright was the sole American scientist stationed at Mirny, a Soviet Union Antarctic research station, where he studied the atmosphere of Antarctica through cloud observations. Cartwright retired from NOAA in 1975 in Geneva, Switzerland where he had been the United States Representative to the World Meteorological Organization from 1965-1975.
The Gordon Cartwright Oral History, dated 1991 and 2000-2007, contains audio recordings, administrative information, and a transcript of the interview between Cartwright and Brian Shoemaker of the American Polar Society that took place on May 9, 2000, regarding Cartwright's experiences as a meteorologist in Antarctica and the Arctic. This interview was a part of a series of polar oral histories sponsored by American Polar Society and Ohio State University's Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program, with funding from the National Science Foundation. Major topics found in the oral history include Cartwright's organization of a series of weather reporting stations along the Alaska-Canadian (ALCAN) Highway for reporting Arctic weather conditions, his development of the Joint Arctic Weather Reporting System (JAWS) with the Canadians, and his funding of the construction of the initial weather reporting bases at Resolute and Alert in Nunavut, Canada. The oral history also covers Cartwright's selection and experience as an exchange scientist with the Russians during the International Geophysical Year (IGY) from 1957-1958.
Tape 2 Side B of the oral history interview contains static and other technological issues that make parts of the interview indecipherable. This section is not transcribed in the transcript.
Also available online.
Tape 2 Side B of the oral history interview contains static and other technological issues that make parts of the interview indecipherable. This section is not transcribed in the transcript.