Richard Upjohn Light
Encyclopedia
Richard Upjohn Light was a U.S. neurosurgeon, aviator, cinematographer, and former president of the American Geographical Society
.
in 1924 and a M.D. from the University of Michigan
Medical School in 1928.
He was director of the surgical laboratory at the Yale School of Medicine from 1933-1935. From 1937 to 1968, he was a director of the Upjohn Company, the pharmaceuticals company founded by his grandfather, William E. Upjohn
. In 1937, he married Mary Meader
in Maryland.
Meader had to take flying lessons and learn Morse code in able to become her husband's co-pilot, navigator, and radio operator. During training, she gave birth to her first son, Christopher. In an interview with Encore Magazine in 2006, when asked why she decided to take the journey, she replied: "It just seemed like a great adventure — something I wanted to do. Why? I'm not certain, other than we both knew we would be doing something that hadn't been done before."
The two Lights took off out of Kalamazoo in September 1937 in a Bellanca monoplane, whose cabin lacked heat and pressurization. To survive, they had to breathe oxygen from a tank with wooden mouthpieces. Wearing a fur coat and a boot, Meader took photographs out of a window frame.
The Lights were banned from photographing Central America, Ecuador, and Colombia, to prevent the gathering of strategic knowledge. They, however, were allowed to take pictures over Peru, and took the earliest photographs of the Nazca lines
. While unable to distinguish from the ground, from the air the designs range from simple patterns to hummingbirds and llamas.
After photographing South America, the couple crossed the Atlantic to Cape Town
, South Africa
. While there, she photograped the ice dome and crater of Mount Kilimanjaro
and the glaciated pinnacles of Mount Kenya
. In addition, her photographs include different views of native villages, urban areas, and the Egyptian pyramids, as well as several other subjects. On an average day they would rise at 4 a.m. and fly until 11 a.m, afterwich they would visit the farms, mines, and native settlements that would be photographed the next day.
The couple's original plan was to fly into Asia; however, this was not accomplished due to the damaging of the plane and Meader's pregnancy with a second child. The two returned to Kalamazoo in February 1938. In all, Meader took over 1,000 photographs in her two flights.
of the New York Times called the pictures "superb".
Light and Meader divorced in the early 1960s. He served as a member of the Yale University Council from 1956-1963 and was the founder of the Richard U. Light Foundation. In 1962, Light created an undergraduate scholarship awarded annually.
American Geographical Society
The American Geographical Society is an organization of professional geographers, founded in 1851 in New York City. Most fellows of the society are Americans, but among them have always been a significant number of fellows from around the world...
.
Early life
After studying at Culver Military Academy, he earned an undergraduate degree from Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1924 and a M.D. from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
Medical School in 1928.
He was director of the surgical laboratory at the Yale School of Medicine from 1933-1935. From 1937 to 1968, he was a director of the Upjohn Company, the pharmaceuticals company founded by his grandfather, William E. Upjohn
William E. Upjohn
William Erastus Upjohn was a medical doctor, founder and president of The Upjohn Pharmaceutical Company. He was named Person of the Century by the Kalamazoo Michigan newspaper.-Biography:...
. In 1937, he married Mary Meader
Mary Meader
Rachael Mary Upjohn Light Meader was an American aerial photographer and explorer. Heir to the Upjohn Company fortune, she is best known in aerial circles for her 1937–1938 35,000-mile flight in which she photographed unprecedented images of South America and Africa...
in Maryland.
The photographic flight
Dr. Light was well known among flying enthusiasts for his 1934 around-the-world flight and wanted to approximate the same to celebrate their marriage. While planning the trip, many parts of the world had not been photographed from above and the American Geographical Society encouraged photographic flights to build an archive of aerial views. His idea was to fly over areas of South America and Africa that had never been captured on film from the air and Meader was happy to go along with it.Meader had to take flying lessons and learn Morse code in able to become her husband's co-pilot, navigator, and radio operator. During training, she gave birth to her first son, Christopher. In an interview with Encore Magazine in 2006, when asked why she decided to take the journey, she replied: "It just seemed like a great adventure — something I wanted to do. Why? I'm not certain, other than we both knew we would be doing something that hadn't been done before."
The two Lights took off out of Kalamazoo in September 1937 in a Bellanca monoplane, whose cabin lacked heat and pressurization. To survive, they had to breathe oxygen from a tank with wooden mouthpieces. Wearing a fur coat and a boot, Meader took photographs out of a window frame.
The Lights were banned from photographing Central America, Ecuador, and Colombia, to prevent the gathering of strategic knowledge. They, however, were allowed to take pictures over Peru, and took the earliest photographs of the Nazca lines
Nazca Lines
The Nazca Lines are a series of ancient geoglyphs located in the Nazca Desert in southern Peru. They were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. The high, arid plateau stretches more than between the towns of Nazca and Palpa on the Pampas de Jumana about 400 km south of Lima...
. While unable to distinguish from the ground, from the air the designs range from simple patterns to hummingbirds and llamas.
After photographing South America, the couple crossed the Atlantic to Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. While there, she photograped the ice dome and crater of Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcano in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa at above sea level .-Geology:...
and the glaciated pinnacles of Mount Kenya
Mount Kenya
Mount Kenya is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second-highest in Africa, after Kilimanjaro. The highest peaks of the mountain are Batian , Nelion and Point Lenana . Mount Kenya is located in central Kenya, just south of the equator, around north-northeast of the capital Nairobi...
. In addition, her photographs include different views of native villages, urban areas, and the Egyptian pyramids, as well as several other subjects. On an average day they would rise at 4 a.m. and fly until 11 a.m, afterwich they would visit the farms, mines, and native settlements that would be photographed the next day.
The couple's original plan was to fly into Asia; however, this was not accomplished due to the damaging of the plane and Meader's pregnancy with a second child. The two returned to Kalamazoo in February 1938. In all, Meader took over 1,000 photographs in her two flights.
Later life
After the flight, Light wrote the book Focus on Africa, which included his wife's photos and published by the American Geographical Society. The book was only the second which included aerial photos. A 1941 review of the book by Mary Jobe AkeleyMary Jobe Akeley
Mary Jobe Akeley was an explorer and naturalist and the wife of Carl E. Akeley. She is famous as one of the earliest women explorers in Africa where she helped her husband hunt and photograph animals during their natural history studies...
of the New York Times called the pictures "superb".
Light and Meader divorced in the early 1960s. He served as a member of the Yale University Council from 1956-1963 and was the founder of the Richard U. Light Foundation. In 1962, Light created an undergraduate scholarship awarded annually.