Louis Otto Quam (1906-2001)

• Published in: ARCTIC
• Main Author: Britton, M.E.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: The Arctic Institute of North America 2003
• Subjects: Arctic Institute of North America; Arctic Institute of North America. Arctic Bibliography; Biographies; Civil servants; Government; History; Management; Physical geography; Quam; Louis Otto; 1906-2001; Research; Science; Scientists; United States. National Science Foundation; United States. Naval Arctic Research Laboratory; United States. Office of Naval Research; University of Alaska; Fairbanks; Arctic regions; Antarctic regions; Arctic; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Canada; Antarc*; Barrow; Alaska
• Online Access: https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/63698

Louis O. Quam, highly respected geologist/geographer, academician, and government science administrator, died on 25 July 2001 at age 95. He was best known in the United States and Canada, but widely recognized in several other countries for his many contributions to the advancement of the field of geography, for his influence on expenditure of significant government resources to fund geographic and other research, and for his broad administrative support of research in both the Arctic and the Antarctic. . He attended public schools in Boulder, Colorado, graduating from high school in 1925, and later attended the University of Colorado there, earning Bachelor of Arts (1931) and Master of Science (1932) degrees in geology. Numerous recognitions acclaimed his achievements in earth sciences and science administration . he decided to complete his formal education at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. There, holding the Libby Fellowship, he completed requirements for his doctorate in Physical Geography (1938). Next, he returned to the University of Colorado as Assistant Professor of Geography (1938-42). At this point, his promising career was interrupted by a period of service in the United States Navy (1943-46). Honorably discharged from the Navy with the rank of Lieutenant Commander, Quam quickly returned to university life as Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville (1947-50). . Several events in the immediate post-war years would dominate Louis' career. These included the founding of the Office of Naval Research (ONR) (1946) and the establishment of its Arctic Research Laboratory (later renamed Naval Arctic Research Laboratory (NARL) at Barrow, Alaska (1947) and then, the most dominating of all, the founding of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) (1950). . Quam accepted appointment to the ONR as Head, Geography Branch, Earth Sciences Division in 1950 . In the ONR, Quam was drawn into membership of many committees and panels of other organizations that were ...