Norman Vaughan Begins His Next Adventure....
"We are saddened by the passing of a great man today, on the 23rd December 2005 , Norman Vaughan passed away peacefully in Anchorage, Alaska, he was 100 years old.
Born in 1905, when Teddy Roosevelt was president and polar exploration was in its heyday, Norman was weaned on tales of Robert Peary, Roald Amundsen, and Sir Robert Falcon Scott. In 1925 he left Harvard to join one of his heroes, Sir Wilfred Grenfell in Newfoundland, bringing medical supplies by dog sled to isolated villages. He left school again three years later to go to Antarctica with Admiral Byrd - a bold move that changed his life.
Norman was part of history as the chief dog driver on the first Byrd Antarctic Expedition in 1928-30. He raced with the best in sprint mushing demonstration races in the 1932 Lake Placid Winter Olympic Games. In 1967, drove a snowmobile 5000 miles from Alaska to Boston. Brazenly declared himself dog driving champion of the Pentagon to compete as the first non-Alaskan dog driver in the North American Sled Dog Championships in Alaska. At age 68, moved to Alaska for dogs and adventure with empty pockets after a business collapse and a shattered marriage. Shoveled sidewalks for food, found a job as a janitor, and built a dog team. Participated in 13 Iditarods, running his first one at age 72. Norman completed 6 with his last finish being in 1990 at the age of 84. Crashed President Carter's inaugural parade and was in the next two. Taught John Paul II how to mush. In 1997 organized the annual 868-mile Serum Run from Nenana to Nome, Alaska. This commemorates the 1925 dash to Nome by the fastest village dog teams to deliver diphtheria serum to save Nome. Norman "Dreamed big & dared to fail". Safe trails Norman." --from Norman Vaughan's Official Website
Associated Press story...
One of my fond memories is of working at the Flight Service station in Nome in March of 1986 or 87. The briefing phone rang and a now-familiar voice cheerfully asked me for the weather between Unalakleet and Nome. "It's looks like a nice day for a dog sled drive," said Colonel Norman Vaughan. I have to say, from my small personal experience, he was an up-beat and positive person and I treasure the moment our lives touched, even a short telephone conversation.
May the glories of creation light your trail, Norman. Safe journey.
I was beginning to get a bit concerned last night, sitting at work waiting to hear from Denny. He usually calls me as he is leaving Anchorage, about four-and-a-half hours from home. He had called me about mid-afternoon from Cold Bay, waiting to board the plane, so I had been waiitng expectantly for the phone to ring all evening--his flight usually arrives in Anchorage about six-ish.
It was almost nine before he called. He had just arrived in Anchorage--having been holding on the ground in Kenai waiting for fog to clear from Anchorage. He had been killing time just an hour-and-a-half up the road. Unfortunately, his vehicle was in Anchorage so he needed to go through there on his way home, or he could have jumped the flight in Kenai instead.
He had been up late the night before, doing some modifications to the navigational aids that couldn't be done while they were in use, so he was tired and faced with icy roads and the long drive home, he decided to spend the night in Anchorage. As much as I wanted to have him home, I didn't relish the thought of him driving that long, dark road in possible freezing rain. So he decided to stay in Anchorage long enough to get some sleep and to head south when he woke up.
Rosalee escaped her private room again last night, coming upstairs to hide in Denny's closet once again. Obviously, she doesn't like being shut away from the activity of the household--such as it is. She hasn't shown any aggressive tendencies and our other cats are so innurred to newcomers that they view them only with mild curiosity, so we'll just leave her out and see how she integrates herself into the clowder.
Born in 1905, when Teddy Roosevelt was president and polar exploration was in its heyday, Norman was weaned on tales of Robert Peary, Roald Amundsen, and Sir Robert Falcon Scott. In 1925 he left Harvard to join one of his heroes, Sir Wilfred Grenfell in Newfoundland, bringing medical supplies by dog sled to isolated villages. He left school again three years later to go to Antarctica with Admiral Byrd - a bold move that changed his life.
Norman was part of history as the chief dog driver on the first Byrd Antarctic Expedition in 1928-30. He raced with the best in sprint mushing demonstration races in the 1932 Lake Placid Winter Olympic Games. In 1967, drove a snowmobile 5000 miles from Alaska to Boston. Brazenly declared himself dog driving champion of the Pentagon to compete as the first non-Alaskan dog driver in the North American Sled Dog Championships in Alaska. At age 68, moved to Alaska for dogs and adventure with empty pockets after a business collapse and a shattered marriage. Shoveled sidewalks for food, found a job as a janitor, and built a dog team. Participated in 13 Iditarods, running his first one at age 72. Norman completed 6 with his last finish being in 1990 at the age of 84. Crashed President Carter's inaugural parade and was in the next two. Taught John Paul II how to mush. In 1997 organized the annual 868-mile Serum Run from Nenana to Nome, Alaska. This commemorates the 1925 dash to Nome by the fastest village dog teams to deliver diphtheria serum to save Nome. Norman "Dreamed big & dared to fail". Safe trails Norman." --from Norman Vaughan's Official Website
Associated Press story...
One of my fond memories is of working at the Flight Service station in Nome in March of 1986 or 87. The briefing phone rang and a now-familiar voice cheerfully asked me for the weather between Unalakleet and Nome. "It's looks like a nice day for a dog sled drive," said Colonel Norman Vaughan. I have to say, from my small personal experience, he was an up-beat and positive person and I treasure the moment our lives touched, even a short telephone conversation.
May the glories of creation light your trail, Norman. Safe journey.
I was beginning to get a bit concerned last night, sitting at work waiting to hear from Denny. He usually calls me as he is leaving Anchorage, about four-and-a-half hours from home. He had called me about mid-afternoon from Cold Bay, waiting to board the plane, so I had been waiitng expectantly for the phone to ring all evening--his flight usually arrives in Anchorage about six-ish.
It was almost nine before he called. He had just arrived in Anchorage--having been holding on the ground in Kenai waiting for fog to clear from Anchorage. He had been killing time just an hour-and-a-half up the road. Unfortunately, his vehicle was in Anchorage so he needed to go through there on his way home, or he could have jumped the flight in Kenai instead.
He had been up late the night before, doing some modifications to the navigational aids that couldn't be done while they were in use, so he was tired and faced with icy roads and the long drive home, he decided to spend the night in Anchorage. As much as I wanted to have him home, I didn't relish the thought of him driving that long, dark road in possible freezing rain. So he decided to stay in Anchorage long enough to get some sleep and to head south when he woke up.
Rosalee escaped her private room again last night, coming upstairs to hide in Denny's closet once again. Obviously, she doesn't like being shut away from the activity of the household--such as it is. She hasn't shown any aggressive tendencies and our other cats are so innurred to newcomers that they view them only with mild curiosity, so we'll just leave her out and see how she integrates herself into the clowder.
