Roy G. Fitzsimmons (1916 – May 5, 1945) was an American Polar Explorer and

Geophysicist Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and physical properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. The term ''geophysics'' so ...

. Born LeRoy Fitzsimmons, he was the youngest child of John and Alice Brown Fitzsimmons and was one of 10 children. Roy graduated from

Seton Hall College Seton Hall University (SHU) is a private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan u ...

in 1937 with a

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which rel ...

degree. He was trained in

Magnetometry A magnetometer is a device that measures magnetic field or magnetic dipole moment. Different types of magnetometers measure the direction, strength, or relative change of a magnetic field at a particular location. A compass is one such device, on ...

by the

Carnegie Institution The Carnegie Institution of Washington (the organization's legal name), known also for public purposes as the Carnegie Institution for Science (CIS), is an organization in the United States established to fund and perform scientific research. Th ...

. He served as

and Magnetologist on the

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. The expedition, which took place from July 1, 1937, to October 3, 19 ...

July 1, 1937 through October 4, 1938. He was a member of the

United States Antarctic Service Expedition The United States Antarctic Service Expedition (1939–1941), often referred to as Byrd’s Third Antarctic Expedition, was an expedition jointly sponsored by the United States Navy, State Department, Department of the Interior and The Treasur ...

(

Byrd Byrd commonly refers to: * William Byrd (c. 1540 – 1623), an English composer of the Renaissance * Richard E. Byrd (1888–1957), an American naval officer and explorer Byrd or Byrds may also refer to: Other people * Byrd (surname), includin ...

's third expedition) 1939 through 1941 where he worked at West Base on

magnetometry A magnetometer is a device that measures magnetic field or magnetic dipole moment. Different types of magnetometers measure the direction, strength, or relative change of a magnetic field at a particular location. A compass is one such device, on ...

aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

studies and

seismology Seismology (; from Ancient Greek σεισμός (''seismós'') meaning "earthquake" and -λογία (''-logía'') meaning "study of") is the scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth or through other ...

in the Rockefeller Mountains where a peak bears his name."Mount Fitzsimmons"
/ref> During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Roy was a Captain in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

. He was killed on May 5, 1945 while returning from active duty in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. He is buried in Newark NJ. His survivors included six nieces and nephews.

References

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 *Inglis, Robert: "Rutgers University Oral History Archives" October 27, 1998 *Stonehouse, 'Bernard: "The Encyclopedia of Antarctica and the Southern Oceans", 2002

External links

*
MacGregor Arctic Expedition; Monthly Weather Review

* Roster of World War II Dead – Ancestry.com 1916 births 1945 deaths American explorers Explorers of the Arctic Explorers of Antarctica Seton Hall University alumni United States Army Air Forces personnel killed in World War II United States Army Air Forces officers {{US-explorer-stub