Interview of Eugene L. Boudette by Brian Shoemaker

• Main Author: Boudette, Eugene L.
• Other Authors: Shoemaker, Brian
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program 2010
• Subjects: Antarctica > Discovery and exploration > Interviews; Geology > Antarctica > Interviews; Boudette; Eugene L. > Interviews; Antarctic; Byrd; Byrd Station; Christchurch; Clark Mountains; Greenland; Greenland Icecap; The Sentinel; Victoria Land; VX-6; Weddell; Weddell Sea; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1811/44641

Dr. Boudette (Gene) used the G.I. Bill to go to college after WW II. He obtained a B.S. in Geology in1951 from the University of New Hampshire and went to work for the New England Division of the Army Corps of Engineers. The job took him to the Northern Greenland icecap where he completed test drilling for what later became Camp Century. His drills did not work properly and he became the go-between with the manufacturer and the Army to develop equipment that would work in polar conditions in what he calls an “imagination problem.” Later he was involved with work at Camp Tuto in Greenland. In 1952 he applied to go to work for the U.S. Geological Survey – Geologic Division. As he related it, this division was absorbed with determining “how Antarctica was put together” geologically. “It was time to link Antarctica up with the rest of the world.” There were theories, but they needed to be verified. So Gene went to Antarctica in 1959 to take part in a West Antarctic traverse as the geologist. This was the first traverse of 1959-60. It traversed from Byrd Station to the Weddell Sea to the Clarke Mountains and back to Byrd. Gene comments about a reconnaissance flights by VX-6 along the route and the mutual rapport and respect he had with the pilots – and comments that this was key to the success of the traverse. During the traverse, when they passed the Sentinel Mountains Gene discovered they were basically Kenyite. On leg two in the Clark Mountains he discovered rocks older than Kenyite. He also discovered a new province of older rocks that were similar to the Mountains of New Hampshire. He reported this discovery in his findings. Plans were laid for the following season in Antarctica at the USGS in Washington. This was a large-scale program of geological research for Antarctica under his leadership. This led to fielding the Victoria Land traverse of 1960-61. There were problems that year with logistics, communications (due to sun-spots) and weather. He comments that he was stopped in Christchurch by the Navy medical establishment when they detected a problem with his blood sugar. This ended his career in the field in Antarctica although there was no manifestation of disability for years. His work in the field passed to Art Ford and John Aaron. After retiring from the USGS he attended Dartmouth University earning a Doctorate of Geology. He took a position as a Professor of Geology at the University of New Hampshire and concurrently was appointed as the State Geologist of New Hampshire. Funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation.