Cecil E. "Chuck" Leith was a renowned physicist, mathematician, and climate modeler, born in 1923 in Boston, Massachusetts. He spent his early life in Massachusetts, attending high school in Scituate, a town south of Boston. Leith's career took a significant turn during World War II when he was drafted into the Army at the age of twenty-one. Despite his young age, he was involved in a highly classified project, the details of which he was not allowed to disclose.

Vincent J. Schaefer begins by talking about the gathering led by Tom Malone in the late 1950s to generate a plan for a center to work with problems related to the atmosphere. He describes the differences between the majority of the group, and himself and Vonnegut in philosophies, and the ultimate publication of the Blue Book in February 1959. He discusses his relationship with Walter Orr Roberts when Roberts was at the High Altitude Observatory (HAO) and later at NCAR.

Oral history interview with Peggy LeMone, 2001. Interviewed by Diane Rabson and Nicolle Alida. Interview is about the Electra aircraft. 

Henry Van De Boogaard was born in 1923 in The Hague, Netherlands, to a family of bricklayers. He had two brothers who followed their father's trade and a younger sister. In 1938, his family gradually migrated to South Africa, with Van De Boogaard, his sister, and his mother being the last to leave. He developed an interest in meteorology from a young age, often observing the meteorological department across the road from his school and being fascinated by weather forecasts.

Dave Waltman, a long-time resident of Boulder, Colorado, has had a diverse and interesting career. Born in St. Louis, he spent his early years as a suburbanite in both St. Louis and Chicago. Following in his brother's footsteps, Waltman attended Purdue University, where his father, a native Hoosier and engineer, had also studied. However, Waltman did not find engineering to his liking and transferred to Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, where he graduated in 1962 with a bachelor's degree in business.

Douglas K. Lilly was a renowned meteorologist who had a significant impact on the field of atmospheric sciences. Although Lilly completed his undergraduate work in physics at Stanford University on a Navy ROTC scholarship, he always envisioned going into meteorology.

Dr. Warren M. Washington is a distinguished scientist and director of the Climate and Global Dynamics division at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). He joined NCAR approximately twenty-seven years prior to the interview in 1990, making significant contributions to the field of atmospheric sciences. In addition to his work at NCAR, Washington has been involved in various external activities, including serving on the first committee to examine climate issues for the academy in the early 1970s.

Roland (Rol) Madden, an American meteorologist who was a staff scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) from 1967 to 2002. His research centers on diagnostic studies of the atmosphere. 

Scope and Content Note

George S. Benton was born on September 24, 1917, in Oak Park, Illinois, and was raised in Chicago. His family had a diverse background, with his mother's family originating from Edinburgh, Scotland, and his father's family immigrating from Rega to Michigan when his father was three years old. Benton's original family name was Blumenstock, but he later changed it to George Benton. Benton's early education was at the University of California at Berkeley, where he was involved with the Department of Geography. However, he did not complete his Bachelor's degree there.