2020-01-07 Guide to the Eugene LaFond and Katherine LaFond Oral History, 1958-1959, 1992-2001 SPEC.PA.56.0048 Finding aid prepared by Devon Boerman Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections
1858 Neil Avenue Columbus, OH, 43210
2019 December This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2020-08-03T16:21-0400 English Describing Archives: A Content Standard Eugene LaFond and Katherine LaFond Oral History SPEC.PA.56.0048 Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections 0.08 Cubic feet 1958-1959, 1992-2001 Eugene LaFond was an oceanographer who did research during the Bikini Atoll atomic tests in 1946, on four expeditions in the Arctic regions by ship and submarine from 1947-1958, and in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean. Katherine LaFond, Eugene's wife, was also an oceanographer who worked with Eugene during the Indian Ocean expedition. They were both employed by Scripps Institute of Oceanography, and later, the Naval Electronics Laboratory with Katherine joining her husband at the laboratory in the 1960s. The Eugene LaFond and Katherine LaFond Oral History, dated 1958-1959, and 2000-2001, contains audiocassettes, administrative information, and transcripts of the interview between Eugene LaFond, Katherine LaFond, and Brian Shoemaker of the American Polar Society, which took place on February 27, 2000 regarding Eugene and Katherine LaFond's experiences. (4) audiocassettes; (3) letter file folders English LaFond, Eugene Cecil, 1909-2002 LaFond, K.G.(Katherine Gehring), 1910-2015 Arrangement of Materials

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. The first file also contains administrative materials created before, during and after the interview.

 Acquisitions Information

Accession No. PA.2000.0032: Eugene LaFond, 2000 February

 Preferred Citation

[identification of item], Eugene LaFond and Katherine LaFond Oral History, SPEC.PA.56.0048, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Archival Program, Ohio State University

 Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Contains audiocassettes.

 Access to Materials

Materials in this collection are available for use, but may be used in the University Archives reading room only. Audio materials may need a use copy produced before access is allowed. Contact the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Archival Program at polararchives@osu.edu for more information.

 Use of Materials

Materials in this collection may be protected by copyright, and are made available for research and educational purposes. In general, the OSU Libraries do not own the copyright for materials from our collections and cannot grant copyright permissions for these materials. The user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exceptions to the law. Works in the public domain are not protected by copyright and do not require permission to use.

 Processing Information

Processed by: Devon Boerman, 2019 December; Finding aid written by: Devon Boerman, 2019 December

 Biographical Note

Eugene LaFond (1909-2002) started his career in oceanography by taking a position at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego in 1933, where his future wife, Katherine Gehring (later, LaFond) (1910-2005) worked. During World War II, Eugene LaFond worked at the Radio and Sound Laboratory where he collected temperature and depth data measured by bathythermograph devices on United States Navy ships. Around 1945-1946, the Navy Electronics Laboratory hired Eugene LaFond in a position focused on oceanography. In 1946, Eugene LaFond observed the movements and structure of radioactive water after an atomic explosion during the Bikini Atoll atomic bomb tests that were part of Operation Crossroads. The next year, Eugene LaFond traveled to the Arctic aboard the United States Ship (USS) Nereus where he measured the depth, temperature, bottom samples and plankton in numerous locations across the Bering Sea. In 1949, Eugene LaFond returned to the Arctic on a joint expedition with the Canadian Navy on the Her Majesty's Ship (HMS) Cedarwood. In 1950, he took measurements of the Arctic on the USS Burton Island, and in 1958, on the atomic submarine USS Skate. After these Arctic expeditions, Eugene LaFond focused his research on the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean with the assistance of his wife Katherine, who was also hired by the Navy Electronics Laboratory in the 1960s to do oceanography research.

 Scope and Contents

The Eugene LaFond and Katherine LaFond Oral History, dated 1958-1959 and 1992-2001, contains audiocassettes, administrative information, and transcripts of the interview between Eugene LaFond, Katherine La Fond, and Brian Shoemaker of the American Polar Society, which took place on February 27, 2000. Some of the newspaper clippings and correspondence found in the administrative information date from 1958-1959. The oral history focused on Eugene LaFond's experiences as an oceanographer in the Arctic regions and the Indian Ocean and on Katherine LaFond's assistance with her husband's oceanographic research of the Indian Ocean. Major topics of the oral history interviews include accounts of Eugene's LaFond's oceanographic research during four Arctic Expeditions in the 1950s, the Bikini Atoll atomic tests, sailing to the North Pole and beyond in the atomic submarine United States Ship (USS) Skate, and personal reflections from Katherine LaFond.

 Related Materials Eugene Cecil LaFond Papers, Special Collections and Archives, University of California San Diego. Existence and Location of Copies

Also available online.

 LaFond, Eugene Cecil, 1909-2002 -- Interviews LaFond, K.G.(Katherine Gehring), 1910-2015 -- Interviews Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Skate (Submarine). United States. Navy. Electronics Laboratory. Audiocassettes Bikini Atoll (Marshall Islands)--Research Military oceanography--Research--Arctic regions--20th century Oceanographers--Arctic regions--20th century Oceanography--Research--Indian Ocean--20th century Oceanography--Research--South China Sea--20th century Operation Crossroads, Marshall Islands, 1946 Oral histories (literary works) Notes, correspondence, publications, and submarine photographs Polar Oral History 1 1 1958-1959, 1992-2001 Interview recording Polar Oral History 6 1-2 2000 February 27 Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements Audiocassette; Approximate run time: 116:00 minutes Audiocassette; Approximate run time: 76:00 minutes Existence and Location of Copies

Also available online. Tape 1 Tape 2

 Interview recording copy Polar Oral History 9 1-2 2000 February 27 Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements Audiocassette; Approximate run time: 116:00 minutes Audiocassette; Approximate run time: 76:00 minutes Transcript Polar Oral History 1 2 2001 April Final edited transcript Polar Oral History 1 3 2001 October Existence and Location of Copies

Also available online.