Interview of Donald McLean by Brian Shoemaker
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Date
2008-01-02T18:18:03Z
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Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program
Abstract
Dr. Donald McLean, a medical doctor and surgeon, participated in the Ronne Antarctic Expedition during 1946 and 1947. After being interviewed by Finn and Jackie Ronne in Washington, D.C., McLean joined the ship in December 1946 for the voyage south to Antarctica. En route he visited Panama, Valparaiso and Punta Arenas. In Chile there was discussion about the wisdom of having two women, Jackie Ronne, and Jenny Darlington, wife of the pilot, Harry, join the expedition. In fact, they did so, and became the first women to over-winter in Antarctica. At first the two women were good friends, but when Finn Ronne demoted Harry Darlington as Chief Pilot of the expedition, even before the ship reached Antarctica, the women’s friendship abruptly ended.
Approaching Antarctica, the ship anchored near Stonington Island. Admiral Byrd had established his East Base there previously, although it had since been abandoned, and was later ransacked by the Chileans and Argentines. There were 23 members of the Ronne Antarctic Expedition counting the two women. The British had already established another base just a quarter mile away. It had 13 members, including Bernard Stonehouse, an ornithologist. Ronne ordered the Americans to have little to do with the British.
The Americans, however, did need to use the British dog teams to run cover for the planes. Most of the dogs Ronne had brought from home had died en route. What was left of the American dog team was unreliable. The dog teams also functioned as potential rescue backups for the planes in the event of a crash. One British plane crashed and the crew was rescued. Several dog sled trips were made to different locations. One trip of about 400 miles lasted for eight weeks. McLean participated with the British in one survey trip of several weeks across the Palmer Peninsula. Control points were surveyed where caches, including 50-gallon drums of fuel, could be left to service the planes. The British dog team also proved invaluable when one of the Americans, Harris-Clichy Peterson, fell in a crevasse, and with the aid of the dog team was found alive and rescued two days later. He suffered no permanent ill effects. Nelson McClary once tumbled 50 feet over the edge of a glacier, but he too was rescued unharmed. In fact Mclean reports there were no serious injuries or any serious illness during the Expedition, although he himself once suffered a broken ankle.
The split between Finn Ronne and Harry Darlington caused tension in the camp. About one-third of the crew sided with the Darlingtons, about one-third with Ronne, and about one-third in the middle. One’s position at the dinner table was a clear indication of his personal relationship to Ronne. Darlington and Ronne always sat at opposite ends of the table. What Ronne really wanted from the team was “a great deal of respect, but didn’t get it because he didn’t seem to deserve it.” For example he resorted to petty punishments of his critics by taking away their jam and jelly.
Despite Ronne’s objections, McLean cultivated a relationship with the nearby British team, especially the British doctor, Dick Budson. The British were never invited to visit the American base, and there was never any mutual socializing on holidays such as Christmas or New Year’s. McLean, however, visited the British base on several occasions for scones and tea. For many years he maintained a friendship with Kevin Walton. Years later, Walton gave McLean an American flag that he had stolen from the American base. McLean donated it to the Byrd Polar Research Center at Ohio State.
There were several principal scientists on the Expedition. These included two geologists, Bob Nickles and Bob Dodson; Andy Thompson, a geophysicist; and H.C. Peterson, a cosmologist. As for Finn Ronne, McLean said that he did a great job of organizing and planning the expedition, including fund raising, but he was very petty in his criticisms and not a great leader. He once drew a beautiful map of a penguin rookery McLean planned to visit, but usually he was not seen as a sharing individual or one who had warm feelings for others. He had a “tremendous ego,” and sometimes became emotionally upset. Typically he would turn his back and walk away from confrontational situations.
Most of McLean’s usual duties were not related to medicine. Aboard ship he stood regular watch, and took care of the sick dogs. On shore he helped Andy Thompson with his seismograph recordings. He sought to keep in personal contact with all team members, including Finn Ronne. Ronne did not come to realize until the end of the Expedition how little respect McLean had for him. McLean was very close to Harry Darlington and Andy Thompson, and they remained friends for life. Ike Schlossback was a valuable member of the expedition. He had been a submariner and a pilot, and was always friendly and fair. Many years later he lived with the McLean’s for two months before entering a retirement home.
The Ronne Antarctic Expedition ended in March, 1948, and arrived back in the states in June. Their departure from Antarctica was facilitated by the icebreakers Edisto and Burton Island. Had Jenny Darlington not been pregnant, the expedition might have stayed on an additional year. McLean returned to active duty in the Navy and served for two years in Greenland. He became a specialist in micro-surgery. After his service in Greenland ended, McLean left the Navy and went into private practice in Alaska. But he considers his polar experiences to have been instrumental in his later interests and successes in life.
Major Topics
Recollections of the Finn Ronne Antarctic Expedition, 1947-1948
Leadership style of Finn Ronne
Contributions of other team members of the Expedition
Personal interactions and occasional conflicts
Occasional contacts with a nearby British base, including use of their dog teams
Description
Adams, Chuck, pilot, pp. 4-5, 10, 25
Budson, Dick, British physician, pp. 17
Darlington, Harry, pilot, pp. 2-5, 14-16, 18, 22
Darlington, Jenny, wife of Harry, pp. 2-5, 16
Dodson, Bob, pp. 9, 12, 27
Gutenko, Sig, camp cook, pp. 11
Lassiter, Jim, head pilot, pp. 4-5
Latady, Bill, photographer, pp. 3, 27
McClary, Nelson, pp. 2, 9-11, 17, 26
Nickles, Bob, geologist, p. 19
Peterson, Harris-Clichy, expert on cosmic rays, pp. 9, 19
Robertson, Jim, airplane mechanic, p. 3
Ronne, Edith “Jackie,” wife of Finn, pp. 2-6, 16
Ronne, Finn, mentioned throughout document
Schlossback, Ike, pilot, pp. 3, 9, 22-24
Stonehouse, Bernard, British ornithologist, p. 7
Thompson, Andy, geophysicist, pp. 2, 11, 19, 21-11
Walton, Kevin, member of British Antarctic team, pp. 7, 17
The media can be accessed here: http://streaming.osu.edu/knowledgebank/byrd/oral_history/Dr_Donald_McLean.mp3
The media can be accessed here: http://streaming.osu.edu/knowledgebank/byrd/oral_history/Dr_Donald_McLean.mp3