On September 5, 1997, Dale Kellogg interviewed Dr. Susan Solomon, an atmospheric chemist and senior scientist at NOAA, for the American Meteorological Society's oral history project. Solomon discusses her childhood in Chicago, where she developed an early interest in science, particularly through nature and television programs like Jacques Cousteau’s, which inspired her to pursue marine biology. She later shifted her focus to chemistry, finding it more quantifiable and elegant, eventually leading to her specialization in atmospheric chemistry. Solomon recounts her academic journey, including her undergraduate years at the Illinois Institute of Technology and a transformative exchange year in France, where she immersed herself in a foreign culture and language. She completed her graduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and then joined the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), where she worked with notable scientists, including Harold Johnston and Paul Crutzen. Her career at NOAA’s Aeronomy Lab began with a focus on atmospheric chemistry, particularly the study of ozone depletion. Solomon was instrumental in the groundbreaking research that identified the role of polar stratospheric clouds in the depletion of the ozone layer over Antarctica. This discovery linked surface chemical reactions to ozone destruction, a key contribution to understanding the chemical dynamics behind the ozone hole. Throughout the interview, Solomon reflects on her work, challenges faced in atmospheric science, and the excitement of solving real-time environmental problems, including the ozone crisis. Her insights and achievements in atmospheric chemistry have had a lasting impact on the field.