Albert P. Crary


Albert Paddock Crary, was a pioneer polar geophysicist and glaciologist. He was the first person to have stepped foot on both the North and South Poles, having made it to the North Pole on May 3, 1952 and then to the South Pole on February 12, 1961, as the leader of a team of eight. The South Pole expedition set out from McMurdo Station on December 10, 1960, using three Snowcats with trailers. Crary was the seventh expedition leader to arrive at the South Pole by surface transportation. He was widely admired for his intellect, wit, skills and as a great administrator for polar research expeditions.

Biography

Crary was born in 1911 into a farming family in northern New York State. He was the second oldest in a family of 7 children. He was a physics major and geology student at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. He graduated in 1931 Phi Beta Kappa from St. Lawrence University and then enrolled at Lehigh University to obtain a master's degree in physics. After spending years completing and facilitating research at both poles, Crary eventually settled in Bethesda, Maryland, with his wife and son.
His awards included the Cullum Geographical Medal, the Patron's Gold Medal, and the Vega Medal.
He died on October 29, 1987, at the George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C.

Legacy

In 1991, the National Science Foundation, which manages the U.S. Antarctic Program, honoured his memory by dedicating a state-of-the-art laboratory complex in his name, the Albert P. Crary Science and Engineering Center located in McMurdo Station. He was also honored by having the Crary Mountains and the Crary Ice Rise in Antarctica named for him as well.

Contributions

Dr. Crary contributed in a variety of important ways to his field including:
He worked with many notable scientists and famous institutions: