Ed Martell was a distinguished nuclear scientist with a focus on atmospheric chemistry, radioactive material, and nuclear science in general. His academic journey began at West Point, where he graduated in the class of 1942. Following his graduation, Martell served as an officer in the Corps of Engineers for eight years, participating in combat in the Pacific during the Second World War. After the war, Martell had the opportunity to further his studies at the University of Chicago as a lieutenant colonel. It was here that he earned his Ph.D. in nuclear chemistry and radiochemistry in 1950.

Timothy Brown reminisces about his early fascination with astronomy, building telescopes and an observatory as a child with his father. Brown talks about his undergraduate school experience at Wesleyan University, a small liberal arts school in Middletown, Connecticut, and his work with the physicists on campus, specifically his mentor Jim Faller. Brown did his graduate studies at the University of Colorado, but completed most of his work in Tucson, working for a professor from the University of Arizona as an HAO (High Altitude Observatory) graduate student.

Nelder Medrud begins the interview with a discussion of his life history, education and research prior to arriving at NCAR. Medrud became acquainted with NCAR through Phil Thompson and Henry van de Boogaard while at the University of Stockholm, Sweden in the early 1960s. In the Air Force, Medrud’s specialty was applied climatology and a position opened up at NCAR focusing on applications to societal problems. The immediate focus of Medrud’s work at NCAR was on the matter of the consequences of hail to society.

Oral History Interview with Horace Byers, 1987.  Interviewed by Earl Droessler. 

Copyright Information: Copyright University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Oral history interview with Rene Munoz, 2004. Interviewed by Stuart Leslie. Topics include: Tour of the Mesa Lab and Mesa Lab’s construction; experiments done at NCAR; bush hammering; Damon room; Margaret Thatcher visit; supercomputing.

Dr. John C. Calhoun was one of the early pioneers and contributors to UCAR/NCAR development. Calhoun became acquainted with UCAR and a plan for developing a national program (the “Blue Book”) while at Texas A&M University in an administrative role. Although Calhoun did not have a background in the atmospheric sciences, he brought valuable institutional perspective, experience in program development and organizational management to the table.

In this interview I.M. Pei, chief architect of the Mesa Laboratory and the Fleischmann Building, speaks passionately about his inspirations; the placement of the structures and the relationship between building and setting; the design process, down to the selection of materials; and how the Mesa Laboratory marked a very important turning point in his career.

Copyright Information: Copyright University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Harriet B. Crowe, born Harriet Barker in 1938, was raised in Mt. Cisco, New York. She was the first member of her family to attend college, a significant achievement given that neither her parents nor their siblings had the opportunity to pursue higher education. Crowe initially attended Michigan State University in 1956 with the intention of studying nursing, a decision influenced by her high school counselor who discouraged her from pursuing her original ambition of becoming a doctor.

Topics include: how he came to be involved in meteorology; education; time in the Navy; work at MIT; American Meteorological Society; radio casting; industrial meteorology; terms as president-elect, president and past president of AMS; changes technology made to meteorology; forecasting; Center for Operational Meteorological Education and Training (COMET); UCAR; Jim Mahoney; blending meteorology with other sciences; China; Harry Geise; weather modification; Ken Spengler; NCAR.

Oral history interview with Robert Fleagle, 1990.