Materials are arranged in the order created during the interview process with the first file containing administrative materials created before, during, and after the interview.
Accession No. PA.2002.0009: Earl R. Hillis, 2002 May
[identification of item], Earl R. Hillis Oral History, SPEC.PA.56.0115, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Archival Program, Ohio State University
Contains audiocassettes.
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Processed by: Audrey Wimbiscus, 2023 November; Finding aid written by: Tricia McEldowney, 2023 December
Lieutenant Commander Earl R. Hillis (1933-) attended David Lipscomb College (renamed Lipscomb University in 1988) for a year before transferring to Alabama Polytechnic Institute (renamed Auburn University in 1960). After a year there, he entered the Naval Cadet Training Program to begin flight training for the United States Navy. Hillis received his wings and was commissioned as an Ensign in 1956. His first assignment was to the Air Development Squadron Six (VX-6) as a flight navigator in support of the Operation Deep Freeze II Antarctic expedition (1956-1957). After a year, Hillis left Antarctica and joined Project Magnet during which he made routine flights to the Arctic. Project Magnet was an operation of the United States Naval Oceanographic Office to map the earth’s magnetic field.
Hillis flew over both the North and South Poles (as a pilot and navigator, respectively) during the course of his career. He retired from active duty in the U.S. Navy in 1966; however, he remained in the U.S. Navy Reserve until 1975.
The Earl R. Hillis Oral History, dated 2002-2010, contains audio recordings and transcripts of the interview between Hillis and Brian Shoemaker conducted on May 11, 2002. There are also administrative notes that were created both before and after the interview and are dated 2002-2010. 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 discussed include transporting fuel and supplies between Antarctic research stations, social life at Antarctic stations, flight navigation, and Project Magnet.