The Story



We are All Antarctica is a story about my father George W. Gibbs, Jr’s adventures as the first person of African descent to set foot on the continent of Antarctica. He sailed on the famous ship the USS Bear in 1939 to 1941 on Admiral Byrd’s III expedition to the South Pole. It was the first joint venture with the US military and private exploration. Gibbs went on to serve humanity in countless ways, paving the way for not only people of color in the community of Rochester, MN but for all people to become more human, serve their community and appreciate differences.

Through compassion, tenacity, faith and countless hours in the trenches, Gibbs’ life is a model for community service, equality and fun. As the lowest rank on the ship, he was honored for his contribution at a time when people with dark skin were considered less than human.

This story integrates my experiences with natural healing, the arts, the science of the ice, the metaphysics of the South Pole and the history of the expedition and its mystery.

Friday, March 29, 2013

Captain Scott's Final Words Released

The Byrd Polar Society posted a link to Scott's Final Letter.   It's dated March 29, 1912.  The full letter has never been revealed until now, as reported by the University of Cambridge in the UK.
I went to an exhibit in 2011 called Scott-Amundsen: Race to the End of the Earth in New York 
Since his practices seemed inferior to Amundsen, at the time I didn't feel sorry for him.  Now I have empathy, upon doing more research. For example,  the expedition faced unusually severe weather conditions.

His Final Words:

Captain Scott apologized for this writing. "It's -40 and has been for nigh a month"



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