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
Karyn Sawyer UCAR/NCAR Oral History Collection

Oral history interview with Karyn Sawyer, 2015. Interviewed by Richard Anthes. Forms part of the UCAR/NCAR Oral History Collection. Long-time UCAR/NCAR staff member Karyn Sawyer reflects on her decades-long career at the organization, including how she came to work for NCAR, field projects, international scientific cooperation, UCAR/NCAR administration, and her management style.

Richard Anthes Boulder, CO University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Cecil E. "Chuck" Leith UCAR/NCAR Oral History Collection

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.

Paul Edwards Stanford, CA University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Vincent Schaefer UCAR/NCAR Oral History Collection

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.

Earl Droessler Schenectady, NY University Corporation for Atmospheric Research