Dr. Paul A. Siple (1908-1968)

Antarctic explorer Paul Siple wanted to learn about everything.
On his first trip to Antarctica, as a 19-year-old Boy Scout accompanying Cmdr. Richard Byrd's 1928-31 exploration, Siple fell in love with a place that let him study many fields of science, said Siple's daughter, Jane DeWitt, who lives in Maine.
From physics to biology to geology, "there were so many different opportunities, and he was just curious about so many things," DeWitt said.
Siple, who grew up in Erie, returned to the Antarctic five more times. He helped establish the first permanent human base and modern research station there in the late 1950s.
"When he came to the Antarctic, not even its outline was complete on the map, and when he left it, the exploration was almost finished," read an obituary in the September 1969 issue of the Geographic Journal.
Siple became an expert on polar logistics and adapting to life in cold areas, developing cold-weather gear and methods of Antarctic exploration. He also developed the wind-chill factor.
DeWitt said her father was a hard worker -- and someone she seldom saw just sit and relax.
"His wheels were always cranking," she said.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Erie
• Hall
• of
• Fame