Materials are arranged in the order created during the interview process with the first file containing notes and correspondence created before, during, and after the interview.
Accession No. PA.2002.0004: Elmer M. Cranton, 2002 April
[identification of item], Elmer M. Cranton Oral History, SPEC.PA.56.0110, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Archival Program, Ohio State University
Contains audiocassettes.
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Processed by: Audrey Wimbiscus, 2020 December; Finding aid written by: Audrey Wimbiscus, 2021 May
Dr. Elmer M. Cranton enlisted in the United States Navy in 1951; he first served as an electronics technician, then trained as a naval aviator in 1952. As an aviator, he became friends with the flight surgeon of his squadron, and decided he wanted to become a doctor. Cranton transferred to the Naval Reserve, and attended Harvard Medical School through the GI bill, where he graduated in 1964. In 1966, he volunteered for the naval post of senior medical officer at McMurdo Station, Antarctica during the winter-over period, and spent 1966-1967 in Antarctica.
Following his time in Antarctica, Cranton stayed in the naval reserve until around 1974, when he decided to resign and focus entirely on his private medical practice. As of 2003, he is retired from practicing medicine. Cranton Bay in Antarctica is named for him.
The Elmer M. Cranton Oral History, dated 2002, 2009, contains audio recordings, administrative information, and transcripts of the interview between Dr. Cranton and Brian Shoemaker of the American Polar Society conducted on April 30, 2002. This interview was a part of a series of polar oral histories sponsored by the American Polar Society and Ohio State University's Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program, with funding from the National Science Foundation. Major topics discussed include Cranton's trip to Antarctica where he wintered over in 1966 to 1967, his career in the United States Navy, and how he became a doctor.