Explorer's Gazette
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EEXXPPLLOORREERR’’SS GGAAZZEETTTTEE Published Quarterly in Pensacola, Florida USA for the Old Antarctic Explorers Association Uniting All OAEs in Perpetuating the Memory of United States Involvement in Antarctica Volume 15, Issue 4 Old Antarctic Explorers Association, Inc Oct-Dec 2015 South Pole Station Winter Site Manager Craig Knott, left, and Safety Supervisor John Caudle placed a surprise phone call from Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station to Gus Shinn on Christmas Day. S O U T H P O L E P H O N E C A L L Story by Elaine Hood When Shinn was routinely flying to the South Pole in the Antarctic Support Contract late 1950s, the only form of communication with the “real us Shinn, the first person to land an aircraft at the world” was HF radio patched through to a long distance Ggeographic South Pole, spoke briefly on the phone on phone call courtesy of an amateur radio operator. 25 December with US Antarctic Program personnel at Things are a bit simpler today, although still not as Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. simple as communication is for you at your home. While Shinn, now 93, was a Navy Lt. Commander at the McMurdo and Palmer Stations have 24/7 phone and Internet controls of a US Navy R4D-5 named Que Sera Sera when it availability, South Pole Station is still limited by lack of landed at the Pole on 31 October 1956. polar orbiting communications satellites. Phone calls are Craig Knott, the 2016 Winter Site Manager for South conducted using “voice over Internet protocol (VOIP)” Pole Station, and a recently retired Navy officer, placed the technology, which means they are routed by up linking to a phone call to Shinn along with John Caudle, Safety communications satellite, when it is visible. The phone calls supervisor at Pole, who is a former Naval Submarine Petty originate out of Denver, Colorado, where the US Antarctic Officer. Continued on page 4 E X P L O R E R ‘ S G A Z E T T E V O L U M E 15, I S S U E 4 O C T D E C 2 0 1 5 P R E S I D E N T ’ S C O R N E R Laura Snow—OAEA President FELLOW OAEA MEMBERS: OAEA Treasurer Bill Rouzer has submitted the FY-2015 Financial Report. You will find the report on the last page of this issue of the Gazette. Membership statistics for FY- 2015 are listed at the bottom of GROWLERS & BERGY BYTES the Financial Report. There has Feature Stories, Odds & Ends, Collected, Compiled, & not been that much growth in our Written by Billy-Ace Penguin Baker membership since last year. Page Membership growth is always a Cover StorySouth Pole Phone Call…………………..1, 4 challenge. I would like to take § this opportunity to challenge each of you to recruit a new Chesapeake, VA—OAEA Scholarship Program………...3 § member. The best was to do this is to contact Billy-Ace Chesapeake, VA—Scholarship Application……………...5 Baker, the OAEA Membership Chairman, and provide § him with the name and contact information for the Here and There—Letters to the Editor…………………...6 person you wish to recruit. Billy-Ace will mail an OAEA § West Jefferson, NC—Lionel Wafer……………………..10 Information Package to the individual. You will be given § credit in the New Member column whether the person Here and There—In Memory: Obituaries………………11 joins or not. § Virginia, Beach, VA—Chaplain’s Corner………………15 As I mentioned in my last column, the OAEA will be § holding an election in 2016 to fill the positions of Newport, RI—Burial At Sea………..……………………16 President, Executive Vice-President, Treasurer, and three § Chesapeake, VA—Tidewater Group News……………..20 spots on the Board of Directors. Volunteers to fill these § positions should contact the OAEA 2016 Election Here and There—Days Gone By…………………………21 Committee Chairman, Bob “Gabby” Gaboury by email § Pensacola, FL—The Last WhiteRuby: Book Review……22 at: [email protected]. § Ed Hamblin has promulgated details regarding the Cyber Space—9 Interesting Facts About Antarctica…..23 OAEA Scholarship opportunities for the 2016–2017 § Pensacola, FL—VX-6/VXE-6 Third Reunion…………..24 academic year. Life Members, and Annual Members § with membership through 30 June 2017, are elegible to Slingerlands, NY—Ice Eagles Update…………………...27 sponsor a student. The cut-off date for sponsoring a § Pensacola, FL—New Members & Reunions…………….28 student is fast approaching. See page 3 for details § regarding the OAEA Scholarship Program. Here and There—Locator Column ………………….…. 29 Your recommendations and suggestions concerning § Pensacola, FL—GCG Chapter Meetings……………….30 those areas that you perceive as satisfactory, as well as in § those areas where you feel that the OAEA could be Yorba Linda, CA—2015 Accounting Statement………...32 improved, are solicited by me, your President of the Old Antarctic Explorers Association. DISCLAIMER STATEMENT To all those who have lost loved ones, please accept The Old Antarctic Explorers Association publishes the my heartfelt sympathy and my condolences as you pass Explorer’s Gazette quarterly. Opinions expressed by the through these tough times. My prayers are with you. To editorial staff or contained in articles submitted by members, those under the weather, I wish you a speedy recovery, and non-members are not official expressions of the OAEA Until next time, take care. nor does the mention of books, products, or events constitute endorsement by the OAEA. In accordance with Title 17 Laura Snow U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this newsletter OAEA President is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for [email protected] non-profit research and educational purposes only. 2 E X P L O R E R ‘ S G A Z E T T E V O L U M E 15, I S S U E 4 O C T D E C 2 0 1 5 OAEA SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM Editorial By Ed Hamblin OAEA Scholarship Committee Chairman Now is the time to start thinking about the school year 2016–2017 scholarship nomi- The Explorer’s Gazette is the official publication of the nations. Each year, the OAEA is able to Old Antarctic Explorers provide limited scholarship assistance. All Association, Inc. applications with enclosures need to be National Headquarters received by 6 July 2016; submissions will be 10819 Berryhill Road reviewed and decided on by the Scholarship Pensacola, FL 32506 USA Phone 850 456 3556 Committee and awards will be made by approximately 1 August. The scholarship And is published four times annually program is funded solely by donations from Editor the membership, and total award amounts are Billy-Ace Baker based on mutual fund earnings from the Editorial Assistants Gus Shinn scholarship funds. For your convenience, an Kerry Konrad application is included in this issue of the John Stewart Explorers Gazette on page 15. Pam Landy Editor Emeritus To sponsor someone, the sponsor needs to Jim O’Connell be a Life Member of the association, or be an 2001–2003 Annual member with membership paid up through 30 June 2017. The sponsor needs to Association Officers include a statement as per the application; this President – Laura Snow Vice President – Bob Gaboury is the most common omission, and without it, the application will not be reviewed. Secretary – Marty Diller Treasurer – Bill Rouzer Life Director – Billy-Ace Baker Candidates need to be a graduating high school senior, or enrolled and attending Past President/Director – Jim Heffel Director – David Bresnahan college to be eligible. Director – Wayne Germann Director – Ed Hamblin The Scholarship Committee is headed by Director – Thomas Henderson Ed Hamblin ([email protected], phone Director – Robert Conner Director – William Smith 757-405-3362). Send applications to; Director – Russ Livermore Director – Dick Spaulding OAEA Scholarship Program Chaplain – Johnnie Draughon 3104 Deepspring Drive Historian – Billy-Ace Baker Chesapeake, VA 23321-2448 Parliamentarian – Jim Eblen 3 E X P L O R E R ‘ S G A Z E T T E V O L U M E 15, I S S U E 4 O C T D E C 2 0 1 5 Christmas Phone Call From Page 1 phone call was completed he was eager Gus. Since no one knew where Gus Program’s civilian support contractor to get home to call his daughter to tell was he was perplexed and for some Lockheed Martin is located. Therefore, her that he’d received a phone call reason he thought the call was from his a phone call to Gus in Pensacola was from the South Pole.” landlord. simply a long distance phone call After the initial call was dropped between Colorado and Florida. Pam and I exchanged nervous glances, Well, it would have been “that but after the phone rang again simple” had the satellite been visible everything was “fivers”. (above the Polar horizon) to the South During the conversation it was Pole satellite dish receivers, but obvious that the participants at the unfortunately, it was not. So an Iridium South Pole did not know that Gus had phone call was placed. Iridium is the been to the ice prior to Deep Freeze. only telecommunications service He explained to them that he was part available everywhere on Earth. US of Operation Highjump (1946–47). Antarctic Program personnel working Gus was thrilled with the phone at the South Pole rely on Iridium call and on his behalf I would like to satellite phone coverage when thank everyone who had a part in communications satellites are not making the call possible. visible above the horizon. “The phone call dropped initially, which is not uncommon when using Iridium from the South Pole,” stated Pole Winter Site Manager Knott.