Franklin Alton Wade

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Franklin Alton Wade (1903-1978) was an American geologist. One of his chief scientific interests was the geology of Antarctica, to which he traveled several times, including twice with the explorer Admiral Richard E. Byrd.

Contents

Early life

Wade was born in Akron, Ohio, in 1903. He received Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees at the same ceremony in 1926, from Kenyon College in Ohio. After working for a short time as an industrial chemist, he enrolled in a PhD programme at Johns Hopkins University. [1]

Antarctic expeditions and research

Wade was a member of the second Antarctic expedition led by the Admiral Richard E. Byrd in 1933. While there, he was part of a 77-day sled journey into Marie Byrd Land. The field work on this expedition was later the foundation of his doctoral dissertation.

Wade was then selected by Byrd to take the role of chief scientist for his third Antarctic expedition. On this expedition he took two students with him, a practice he would continue in his later expeditions. [2]

He was geologist with the Byrd Antarctic Expedition (1933-35), senior scientist at West Base of the U.S. Antarctic Service (USAS) (1939-41), and leader of two Texas Technological College (Texas Tech) Shackleton Glacier Parties (1962-63 and 1964-65) and Senior Scientist U.S. Antarctic Research Program (USARP), Marie Byrd Land Survey, 1966-67 and 1967-68. [3] [4] The Marie Byrd Land Survey was a complex operation involving fixed wing and helicopter camps. [5] [6] A major product of that project was a series of geologic and topographic maps of scale 1:250,000. [7]

Wade personally nominated for naming, by the U.S. Board of Geographic Names, several Antarctic mountains and ridges whilst he worked as leader of the Texas Tech Shackleton Glacier Party, 1962–63. These include:

Academia

During his PhD programme, Wade worked as a instructor in geology at the University of Delaware. Wade accepted a similar position at the Miami University in his home state of Ohio in 1936. He then received his Doctor of Philosophy degree from Johns Hopkins University in 1937.

He was head of the Geology department at Texas Tech University, but resigned the position in 1964 to focus on active Antarctic research. His successor in the position, Richard Maddox, later said: "For Al, the paperwork and meetings were a waste of the time he could have spent in teaching and research." [8]

Legacy

Two weeks after his death from a heart attack on October 1, 1978, Congressman George H. Mahon made a tribute to Wade in front of the United States House of Representatives in praise of Wade's achievements, his "enthusiasm for life, his Christian dedication and his youthful spirit." [9]

Mount Wade is named for Wade. It was first discovered by Roald Amundsen in 1911. It has the highest elevation of any of the Prince Olav Mountains, at 4,085 m (13,402 ft). [10]

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marie Byrd Land</span> Unclaimed West Antarctic region

Marie Byrd Land (MBL) is an unclaimed region of Antarctica. With an area of 1,610,000 km2 (620,000 sq mi), it is the largest unclaimed territory on Earth. It was named after the wife of American naval officer Richard E. Byrd, who explored the region in the early 20th century.

The Prince Olav Mountains is a mountain range of the Queen Maud Mountains in Antarctica stretching from Shackleton Glacier to Liv Glacier at the head of the Ross Ice Shelf.

Mount Wade is a massive mountain in Antarctica. It is the most distinctive landmark in its region and the highest in its range, standing six kilometres northwest of Mount Campbell in the Prince Olav Mountains. It is easily viewed from Shackleton Glacier or the Ross Ice Shelf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King Edward VII Land</span> Peninsula which forms part of Marie Byrd Land in Antarctica

King Edward VII Land or King Edward VII Peninsula is a large, ice-covered peninsula which forms the northwestern extremity of Marie Byrd Land in Antarctica. The peninsula projects into the Ross Sea between Sulzberger Bay and the northeast corner of the Ross Ice Shelf, and forms part of the Ross Dependency. Edward VII Peninsula is defined by the Ross Ice Shelf on the southwest, Okuma Bay on the west, and to the east by Sulzberger Bay and the Saunders Coast, all essentially on the Ross Sea / Southern Ocean in Antarctica. The northwest extremity of the peninsula is Cape Colbeck. Edward VII Peninsula is located at 77°40′S155°00′W.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fosdick Mountains</span> Mountain range in Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica

The Fosdick Mountains are an east–west trending mountain range with marked serrate outlines, standing along the south side of Balchen Glacier at the head of Block Bay, in the Ford Ranges of Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica. They were discovered by the Byrd Antarctic Expedition in 1929, and named by Richard E. Byrd for Raymond B. Fosdick, who became president of the Rockefeller Foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Billboard</span>

The Billboard is a massive granite monolith in the Sarnoff Mountains of the Ford Ranges of Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica, standing just west of Mount Rea between Arthur Glacier and Boyd Glacier. It was discovered in November 1934 by a Second Byrd Antarctic Expedition (1933–35) sledge party under Paul Siple, and is so named because of its form and appearance with vertical faces rising above the continental ice.

Mount Rea ; Sarnoff Mountains, Ford Ranges, Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica. A prominent mountain with an imposing monolith on its west side called the Billboard, standing between Arthur Glacier and Boyd Glacier. It is composed of Byrd Coast granite of Cretaceous age, and reaches an elevation of 760 m. It was discovered by the Byrd Antarctic Expedition on the Eastern Flight of December 5, 1929, and named by Byrd for Mr. and Mrs. Rea, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, contributors to the expedition.

Yeats Glacier is a tributary glacier about 8 miles (13 km) long, flowing west from the north side of Mount Finley to enter Shackleton Glacier just north of Lockhart Ridge, in the Queen Maud Mountains. Named by F. Alton Wade, leader of the Texas Tech Shackleton Glacier Expedition, for Vestal L. Yeats, a member of the Texas Technological College faculty and of both expeditions.

The Texas Tech Shackleton Glacier Expedition took place first from 1962/63 and then again from 1964/65. The expedition, led by F. Alton Wade, was sponsored by Texas Technological College. It explored areas of Antarctica.

Albanus Glacier, also known as Phillips Glacier, is a 25-nautical-mile long glacier flowing west along the south side of Tapley Mountains to enter Scott Glacier just north of Mount Zanuck, in the Queen Maud Mountains in Antarctica. It was discovered in December 1934 by the Byrd Antarctic Expedition geological party under Quin Blackburn. Byrd named it for Albanus Phillips, Jr., president of Phillips Packing in Cambridge, Maryland, a patron of, and supplier of provisions to, his Antarctic expeditions of 1928–30 and 1933–35.

The Cathedral Peaks form a rugged mountain mass surmounted by several conspicuous peaks, located north of Lubbock Ridge and extending for about 8 nautical miles (15 km) along the eastern margin of Shackleton Glacier. From the glacier the peaks resemble the spires and turrets of a cathedral. They were named by F. Alton Wade, who worked in this area as leader of the Texas Tech Shackleton Glacier Party, 1962–63.

Mount Greenlee is a steep-sided, jagged mountain in Antarctica, 2,030 metres (6,660 ft) high; of metamorphic rock, it overlooks the west side of Shackleton Glacier just east of Mount Butters. It was named by F. Alton Wade, leader of the Texas Tech Shackleton Glacier Expedition (1962–63), for David W. Greenlee, a member of the party. It ranks as the 1,181st highest mountain in Antarctica.

Phillips Mountains is a range of mountains on the north side of Balchen Glacier and Block Bay in the Ford Ranges, Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica. Discovered by the Byrd Antarctic Expedition (1928–30) and named by Byrd for Albanus Phillips, Sr., a manufacturer in Cambridge, Maryland, United States, and patron of the Byrd expeditions.

The Duncan Mountains are a group of rugged coastal foothills, about 18 nautical miles (33 km) long, extending from the mouth of Liv Glacier to the mouth of Strom Glacier at the head of the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica. They were discovered by the Byrd Antarctic Expedition in November 1929 and named for James Duncan, the Manager of Tapley Ltd, shipping agents for the Byrd expeditions at Dunedin, New Zealand.

The Gemini Nunataks are two nunataks of similar size and appearance in a prominent position near the west wall of Shackleton Glacier, Antarctica, just southeast of Mount Cole. They were named by F. Alton Wade, leader of the Texas Tech Shackleton Glacier Expedition, 1962–63, after the constellation Gemini, which contains the twin stars Castor and Pollux.

Gerasimou Glacier is a steep-walled tributary glacier, 5 nautical miles (9 km) long, entering the west side of Shackleton Glacier opposite the Gemini Nunataks, in the Queen Maud Mountains of Antarctica. It was named by the Texas Tech Shackleton Glacier Expedition, 1964–65, for Helen Gerasimou, a polar personnel specialist with the Office of Antarctic Programs, National Science Foundation.

Hampton Ridge is a ridge about 10 nautical miles (20 km) long in the Queen Alexandra Range of Antarctica, running north from Pagoda Peak between Montgomerie Glacier and Mackellar Glacier. It was named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for Major William C. Hampton, commanding officer of the U.S. Army Aviation Detachment which supported the Texas Tech Shackleton Glacier Expedition, 1964–65.

Lubbock Ridge is a high ridge in Antarctica, about 5 nautical miles (9 km) long, extending west from Mount Wade and terminating in a steep bluff at the east side of Shackleton Glacier. It was named by F. Alton Wade, leader of the Texas Tech Shackleton Glacier Expedition (1962–63), in honor of Lubbock, the home of Texas Technological College, to which all three members of the party were affiliated.

Matador Mountain is a prominent, ice-free mountain, 1,950 metres (6,400 ft) high, standing at the south side of the mouth of Gallup Glacier, Antarctica, where the latter enters Shackleton Glacier. It was named by F. Alton Wade, leader of the Texas Tech Shackleton Glacier Expedition (1962–63), as "Matador" is a former name of Texas Tech University's athletic teams, and all three members of the party were affiliated with the college.

Mount Kenyon is a mountain, 2,260 metres (7,400 ft) high, standing 1 nautical mile (2 km) northwest of Shenk Peak and 1 nautical mile (2 km) southwest of Barry Hill in the northern part of the Cumulus Hills, Antarctica. It was named by F. Alton Wade, leader of the Texas Tech Shackleton Glacier Expedition of the United States Antarctic Research Program (1962–1963), after Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio, his alma mater.

References

  1. ↑ Young, Glenys. "Into The Cold". today.ttu.edu. Texas Technical University. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  2. ↑ "Obituary Franklin Alton Wade". Polar Record. 19 (121): 405. 1978.
  3. ↑ "A Guide to the Charles F. Passel Antarctic Exploration Collection, 1911-2001". legacy.lib.utexas.edu. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  4. ↑ "WADE, Franklin Alton Papers 1946-1951". www.afhra.af.mil/. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  5. ↑ Wade, F. Alton. "Geology of the Marie Byrd Land coastal sector of west Antarctica." Antarctic Journal of the United States, v 2 (1967): 93-94.
  6. ↑ Wade, F. Alton. "Marie Byrd Land Survey II." Antarctic Journal of the United States, v 3 (1968): 88.
  7. ↑ e.g. Wade, F. A., et al. (1977). "Reconnaissance geologic map of the Alexandra Mountains quadrangle, Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica, Map A-5". Reston, Virginia: U. S. Antarctic Research Program.
  8. ↑ Mattox, Richard. "Memorial to Franklin Alton Wade" (PDF). www.geosociety.org. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  9. ↑ "Franklin Alton Wade (1903-1978)". www.tshaonline.org. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  10. ↑ "Mount Wade". geonames.ugs.gov. Retrieved 5 November 2020.

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