UCAR/NCAR Oral History Collection

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  • The NCAR/UCAR Oral History Project documents the history of NCAR/UCAR through interviews, recorded discussions, and lectures by staff and others.  The project initially had a strong focus on the creation and   development of NCAR, including the design and construction of the Mesa Laboratory headquarters by I.M. Pei. Over the years, the project has expanded to include a wider range of topics and experiences within NCAR/UCAR history.

    For more information, visit archives.ucar.edu or email archives@ucar.edu.

Interviewee Collection Sort descending Description Interviewer Date of Interview Location of Interview Affiliation
Horace Byers UCAR/NCAR Oral History Collection

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.

Earl Droessler Montecito, CA University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Rene Munoz UCAR/NCAR Oral History Collection

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.

Stuart Leslie Unknown University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
John Calhoun UCAR/NCAR Oral History Collection

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.

Earl Droessler College Station, TX University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
I.M. Pei UCAR/NCAR Oral History Collection

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.

Lucy Warner Unknown University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Harriet Crowe UCAR/NCAR Oral History Collection

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.

Earl Droessler Boulder, CO University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Richard Reed UCAR/NCAR Oral History Collection

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.

Earl Droessler Seattle, WA University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Robert Fleagle UCAR/NCAR Oral History Collection

Oral history interview with Robert Fleagle, 1990. 

Copyright Information: Copyright University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Earl Droessler Seattle, WA University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Daniel "Dan" Rex UCAR/NCAR Oral History Collection

Daniel F. Rex was born on December 4, 1916, in Wichita, Kansas. His father, a physician, passed away when Rex was only six months old, leading him to be raised by his mother and maternal grandparents. His grandfather, Lloyd Farrell, a telegrapher and pioneer in Wichita, played a significant role in his upbringing and served as a father figure. Rex's early life was marked by adventure and responsibility, including a trip to Yucatan at the age of fourteen to buy 1100 head of cattle.

Earl Droessler Palestine, TX University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Judy Green UCAR/NCAR Oral History Collection

Oral history interview with Judy Green, 2015. Interviewed by Kathleen Legg. Forms part of the UCAR/NCAR Oral History Collection. Judy Green, long time telecommunications assistant at NCAR, shares her unique perspective of NCAR, its people and culture. Green discusses her early career as a telephone operator at Mountain Bell in Cheyenne, Wyoming and how her and her family came to NCAR. Green talks about her experience with the various telephone systems at NCAR over the years, including the old “cord board”, the short lived Harris system, the Rolm system and Voice Over IP (VoIP).

Kathleen Legg Unknown University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Janet Roberts UCAR/NCAR Oral History Collection

Topics include: Mesa Lab site; time on Boulder City Council; time in Climax; Boulder's open space policy; Walter Orr Roberts; Mesa Lab construction; I.M. Pei; fund raising; HAO; Mesa Lab design; computers; roof leaks; Aspen Institute; music; the humanities and science.

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

Stuart Leslie Boulder, CO University Corporation for Atmospheric Research