Norman D. Vaughan

Colonel Norman Dane Vaughan (December 19, 1905 – December 23, 2005) was an American dogsled driver and explorer whose first claim to fame was participating in Admiral Byrd's first expedition to the South Pole. He also ran dog teams in a professional capacity as part of a search and rescue unit in World War II, in sporting events like the Olympics and the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, and in three Presidential Inauguration ceremonies.

Vaughan was born on December 19, 1905, in Salem, Massachusetts, as the son of a wealthy leather tanner and shoe manufacturer.

In his youth, he became fascinated by tales of early-century polar explorers. He dropped out of Harvard in 1928 when he heard that Admiral Richard E. Byrd was organizing an expedition to Antarctica. Admiral Byrd accepted him on the 1928–1930 expedition, eventually naming a mountain on the continent in his honor. Vaughan appeared in the documentary film With Byrd at the South Pole (1930).

In 1994, at the age of 88, Vaughan participated in an expedition to climb the 10,302 ft (3,150 m) Mount Vaughan. His plans to return in December 2005, to celebrate his 100th birthday, were scrapped in August due to lack of funds. A highlight of his publicity push was his appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on May 10, 2005, and a full-page article in the Los Angeles Times. He made plans to return in 2006 but these were halted by his death just six months before the scheduled date.

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