Clifford J. MacGregor
Encyclopedia
Clifford J. MacGregor was a meteorologist, Arctic explorer and naval aviator
.
MacGregor was a Commander
in the US Naval Reserve and returned to active duty during World War II
as a PBY Squadron
Commander
in Greenland
. He had left the Navy
only 15 years earlier.
for the establishment of the first Arctic weather observation network for Alaskan Airways
Weather Service.
He was then appointed to the Point Barrow
, Alaska Meteorological Station as Commander of the U.S. Arctic weather expedietion for the Second International Polar Year
(1932-33). While in Alaska MacGregor formulated a theory that Northern Hemespheric weather was bred in the Arctic.
MacGregor was assigned to the Newark Airport
Weather office before taking a leave of absence to lead his own Arctic Expedition
from July 1, 1937 through October 4, 1938 to Etah, Greenland
. It was MacGregor and his expedition that first proposed the need for a network of Arctic weather stations.
In 1939, MacGregor was stationed at the Weather Bureau, in Horseheads, NY
.
MacGregor settled (retired) in Milanville, PA.
Naval Aviator
A United States Naval Aviator is a qualified pilot in the United States Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard.-Naming Conventions:Most Naval Aviators are Unrestricted Line Officers; however, a small number of Limited Duty Officers and Chief Warrant Officers are also trained as Naval Aviators.Until 1981...
.
Military career
MacGregor was in the U.S. Navy until 1926 where he was trained to pilot Zeppelins at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.MacGregor was a Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
in the US Naval Reserve and returned to active duty during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as a PBY Squadron
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
in Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
. He had left the Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
only 15 years earlier.
Weather Bureau service
In 1930 MacGregor was posted to AlaskaAlaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
for the establishment of the first Arctic weather observation network for Alaskan Airways
Pacific Alaska Airways
Pacific Alaska Airways was a subsidiary of Pan American World Airways that flew routes around Alaska. The airline was eventually completely absorbed into Pan Am in 1941. The airline restarted service under its own name in the 1970s but ceased operations in 1986....
Weather Service.
He was then appointed to the Point Barrow
Point Barrow
Point Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska, northeast of Barrow. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States, at...
, Alaska Meteorological Station as Commander of the U.S. Arctic weather expedietion for the Second International Polar Year
International Polar Year
The International Polar Year is a collaborative, international effort researching the polar regions. Karl Weyprecht, an Austro-Hungarian naval officer, motivated the endeavor, but died before it first occurred in 1882-1883. Fifty years later a second IPY occurred...
(1932-33). While in Alaska MacGregor formulated a theory that Northern Hemespheric weather was bred in the Arctic.
MacGregor was assigned to the Newark Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport , first named Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport within the city limits of both Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States...
Weather office before taking a leave of absence to lead his own Arctic Expedition
MacGregor Arctic Expedition
The MacGregor Arctic Expedition was a privately funded expedition which set out to reoccupy Fort Conger, Ellesmere Island, Canada, a site within flying distance of the North Pole...
from July 1, 1937 through October 4, 1938 to Etah, Greenland
Etah, Greenland
Etah is an abandoned settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northern Greenland. It was a starting point of discovery expeditions to the North Pole, and the landing site of the last migration of the Inuit from the Canadian Arctic.- Geography :...
. It was MacGregor and his expedition that first proposed the need for a network of Arctic weather stations.
In 1939, MacGregor was stationed at the Weather Bureau, in Horseheads, NY
Horseheads (village), New York
Horseheads is a village in Chemung County, New York, USA. The population was 6,461 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from the number of bleached skulls of pack horses left behind by the Sullivan Expedition....
.
Other accomplishments
MacGregor captained a boat in the 1935 California-Hawaii yacht race.MacGregor settled (retired) in Milanville, PA.
Summary
"MacGregor typified useful adventure as much as anyone I have ever met in arranging for broadcasts over a period of years in the field of exploration" Able Alan Schechter - NBC News
"At 6'-2" Cliford J. MacGregor was not the kind of person one forgets. This could be one of the reasons for his historical neglect. Many seemed to want to forget him. He was a "wave maker" who didn't mind rocking official boats. His criticism of (what he believed to be) the archaic U.S. Weather Bureau didn't find him many friends there." Hal Vogel - Ice Cap News
Sources
- Inglis, Robert: "A Scout Goes North", 1938
- MacGregor, Clifford J.: "Monthly Weather Review", October 1939
- Vogel, Hal: "Ice Cap News", Nov-Dec 1977
- Vogel, Hal: "They Brought Their Own Storms", 1977