The Paul and Ruth Siple Family Artwork Collection is arranged by date of creation.
Accession No. PA.2024.0009: Jane Siple DeWitt, 2023 May.
[identification of item], Paul and Ruth Siple Family Artwork Collection, Paul and Ruth Siple Family Artwork Collection, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Archival Program, Ohio State University
Materials in this collection are available for use, but may be used in the University Archives reading room only. Contact the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Archival Program at polararchives@osu.edu for more information.
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.
Processed by: Casey Blackmore, 2024 September; Finding aid written by: Casey Blackmore, 2024 September.
Paul Allman Siple, 1908-1968, was a polar explorer and geographer. At age nineteen, he was chosen to be the Boy Scout that would accompany then-captain Richard E. Byrd on his First Antarctic Expedition (1928-1930). He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Allegheny College in 1932, and his doctorate in geography from Clark University. Siple served on numerous expeditions to Antarctica, including all of Admiral Byrd’s expeditions. He was also partially credited with devising the wind-chill index.
Ruth Siple,1912-2004, was the wife of Paul Siple and an active member of the Antarctican Society for 40 years. The Antarctican Society, as of 2018, is a non-profit educational organization that focuses on people and topics related to Antarctica. International Geophysical Year participants created the organization in 1960. Alongside micrometeorologist Paul Dalrymple, Ruth Siple published the organization's newsletters for over twenty years. She was declared honorary president of the Antarctican Society from 1988 until her death.
The Paul and Ruth Siple Family Artwork Collections contains two pieces of artwork, one oil painting and one elongated photograph. The oil painting depicts an Antarctic landscape and was painted by Nel Law, the wife of a family friend of the Siples that resided in Canberra, Australia. Siple was a scientific attaché in Canberra, along with the family friend that was also an Antarctic researcher. The photograph is of the Scott Memorial Cross located on Ross Island, shot by American photographer Stuart Klipper. The painting is dated 1966 and the photograph is dated 1984.