On October 19, 2021, Molly Graham interviewed Nezette Rydell remotely for the NOAA 50th Oral History Project. Rydell, born in 1955 in San Antonio, Texas, pursued a career in meteorology, influenced by early experiences with extreme weather events. She earned a degree in meteorology from Texas A&M University, where she was among the few women in the program. In the interview, Rydell discusses her formative years, family background, and the influence of the space race on her educational interests.

Nir Barnea was born in Israel in 1956. Nir’s father, Daniel Barnea, survived the Holocaust, while his grandparents were deported and killed in Auschwitz in 1945.  Nir graduated in 1974 from Har Vagai High School in Upper Galilee, Israel, and served in the Israel Defense Forces until 1977.  Nir immigrated to the United States and earned his BS in Microbiology from the University of Washington, in Seattle.  He continued his graduate education at UW, earning a master’s degree in Environmental Health.  Nir is also a Certified Industrial Hygienist.

Commander Pamela Chelgren-Koterba, born in 1950 in Annapolis, Maryland, grew up in various places across the United States. She was the third of seven children in the family of Captain John Chelgren, a distinguished U.S. Navy officer, and Ruth Henderson, a talented singer. Growing up, Pam played the piano and flute.  She studied bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley, and graduated in 1972. During her time at Berkeley, she worked at the Space Sciences Laboratory, contributing to the OGO 5 satellite data verification. In 1972, Pamela joined the NOAA Corps.

Dr. Pamela Heinselman was born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1970 and moved to Maryland before her first birthday.  She came back to Missouri to study at St. Louis University, earning an undergraduate and master of science degree in meteorology there.  She went on to the University of Illinois to pursue a PhD in Atmospheric Sciences, but left after a semester to work for the University of Oklahoma Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies.  Her work there focused on the Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler which was being implemented throughout the U.S.

On January 29, 2020, Molly Graham interviewed Philip Powell for the Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport project.  Philip Powell was born on June 11, 1965, in Woburn, Massachusetts. His family moved to Swampscott, Massachusetts, where he currently resides. Powell's father, born in Somerville, Massachusetts, in 1935, immigrated from Poland. His mother’s family came to the United States from Germany in 1941, settling in Winthrop, Massachusetts. Powell’s early life involved extensive outdoor activities, including family fishing trips and camping.

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Richard Feely grew up in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Influenced by his love of the outdoors and exposure to Jacques Cousteau, Feely knew he would grow up to be an environmental scientist as early as the eighth grade. He earned his degree from St. Thomas University in his hometown, graduating with a degree in Chemistry in 1969. Feely then earned his master's and Ph.D. in Chemical Oceanography from Texas A&M University. He has worked for the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle, Washington, from 1974 until the present.

Mr. Robert Hansen was born in on Earth Day, April 22, 1949, in Bayshore, New York.  He was the first in his family to attend college, and earned his Bachelor’s and then a Master's Degree in Geography from the University at Albany.  Mr. Hansen came to work for NOAA as a cartographer in Aeronautical Charting.  He then worked as a technical information specialist for the National Ocean Service, chief of the NOAA Map Library, constituent affairs specialist, NOAA Historian, and retired as the national outreach coordinator for Education.   

Molly Graham interviewed Rosalie Parco on October 24, 2019.  Parco was born in 1926 in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Both sides of her family immigrated from Sicily and included many fishermen. She graduated from Gloucester High School in 1944 and attended Kathleen Dell Secretarial School in Boston.  Then she met her husband, Anthony Parco, founder of Ocean Crest Seafoods and Neptune's Harvest Fertilizer in Gloucester, a family business that is still in operation today.

Dr. Crabtree has served as the regional administrator of NOAA Fisheries Service's Southeast Regional Office since January 2003. Previously, Dr. Crabtree was a senior research scientist at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Florida Marine Research Institute, and the director of the Commission's Division of Marine Fisheries. He has served these state and federal fishery management agencies for over 15 years, after beginning his career as a self-employed fishing guide in the Florida Keys and Everglades National Park.