Field, William O. (William Osgood), 1904-

William Osgood Field was born in New York City on January 30, 1904. He earned a B.S. in geology from Harvard University in 1926 and traveled to Glacier Bay, Alaska, on his first scientific trip that same year. Field served on the staff of the American Geographical Society and served as a photographic officer for the U.S. Army during World War II. He was appointed head of the Department of Exploration and Field Research at the American Geographical Society in 1947. Field was appointed Director, World Data Center A; Glaciology in 1957. He was a member of a wide variety of committees and panels relating to glaciology, arctic research, geology, geography and geophysics, often serving as chairman or vice-president. Field retired from the American Geographical Society in 1969. He died at his home in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, on June 16, 1994.

From the description of William O. Field Papers, 1890-1994. (University of Alaska, Fairbanks). WorldCat record id: 309451999

Head of the Dept. of Exploration and Research for the American Geographical Society;

did extensive research in Glacier Bay and Prince William Sound.

From the description of Glacier Bay scientists, 1879-1982, ca. 1983. (Alaska State Library). WorldCat record id: 42929321

• 1904 January 30: Born in New York City
• 1922 June: Graduated Hotchkiss School
• 1924 July: First Ascent, South Twin, Canadian Rockies
• 1926 June: B.S.Geology, Harvard University
• 1926: First scientific trip to Glacier Bay
• 1929 April 4: Married Alice Steelman Withrow
• 1930 December 30: Daughter Diane Sloane Field born
• September 1931 - October 1931 : First scientific trip to Prince William Sound
• 1931 - 1957 : Member, Committee on Glaciers, Section of Hydrology, American Geophysical Union (AGU)
• 1940 June 13: Son John Osgood Field born
• 1940 December 2: Joined staff of the American Geographical Society (AGS) as a research associate
• October 1942 - January 1946 : World War II Service as a photographic officer in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. Assignments included: Training Film Production Laboratory, Wright Field; Signal Corps Photographic Center, NY; Air Force Cold Weather Test Detachment in Alaska, Winter 1943; Signal Photo Company in India and Burma, 1944-45. Attained rank of major at severance. Received Bronze Star Medal
• 1947: Appointed head of the Department of Exploration and Field Research at the AGS
• 1948 - 1954 : Chairman, Committee on Glaciers, Section of Hydrology, American Geophysical Union
• 1955 - 1958 : Chairman of the Technical panel for Glaciology of the USNC/IGY. Technical Panel became the Glaciological Panel of the Committee on Polar Research (CPR), National Academy of Science/National Research Council (NAS/NRC) at the close of the IGY, 1958
• 1954 - 1957 : Member, Technical Panel on Seismology and Gravity, USNC/IGY
• 1954 - 1958 : Consultant for the USNC/IGY Antarctic Committee
• 1957: Director, World Data Center A; Glaciology
• 1959 - 1960 : Member, Panel on Heat and Water, CPR/NAS
• 1959: Member, Special Committee on IGY Geographic Names in the Antarctic, NAS
• 1960: Member, Panel on Arctic Research, Third Arctic Planning Session, Geophysics Research Directorate, Air Force Cambridge Research Labs.
• 1960 - 1963 : Vice-President of Commission of Snow and Ice, International Association of Scientific Hydrology International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics
• 1961 - 1962 : Committee of the British Glaciological Society
• 1962 - 1964 : Vice-President of the International Glaciological Society (successor of the British Glaciological Society)
• 1963 August 08: Married Mary Losey
• 1964: Member of Hydrology Panel of the NAS/NRC Committee of the Alaska Earthquake
• 1969: Retired from the American Geographical Society
• 1975: Publication of Mountain Glaciers of the Northern Hemisphere
• 1994 June 16: Died at his home in Great Barrington, MA

(from With a Camera in My Hands, University of Alaska Press, 2004, used with the permission of C. Suzanne Brown. Please refer to book for further biographical information)

From the guide to the William O. Field Papers, 1890-1994, (University of Alaska Fairbanks Alaska Polar Regions Collections & Archives)