Q: Can you tell me about being in the ticker tape parade where Admiral Byrd,
Byrd was an admiral back then, right.
NV: Oh the ticker tape parade is a matter of the whole celebration and it was
very exciting because I was in the car right behind Admiral Byrd. And it was
just a little, veritable snowstorm going on in especially Wall Street, of
course, that's where it was remembered as. And I remember it very well.
Goodale, and Crockett and I were all in the same car right behind Byrd.
Q: How were people responding to Byrd at the time.
NV: Just cheering as he went along. It was wonderful.
Admiral Byrd had terrific popularity. I did go around with him when he invited
me too. He'd call up and say if you're free tomorrow, will you come with me to
such and such a place and he had to go and give a lecture. One was at the ah,
large convention area in Boston. I've forgotten the name of the program but
that was his Boston show. And ah, just prior to that we had a opening of the
first emperor penguins that were ever shown on land and that was at the Statler
Hotel. He had a lecture there and Goodale, Crockett and I had ice brought in by
the local Boston ice company and put on the stage. And then the penguins are
brought in and put on the ice. The curtain was over and Admiral Byrd announced
that he would view. The people would now see for the first time emperor
penguins on land, for we had taken them off the ship to get them up to the
stage. There they were just cackling away. We didn't feed them, because they
were force feeding the penguins at that time so we couldn't feed that in front
of the people but they were there.
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