Art (Arthur Karr) Gilkey (September 25, 1926 – August 10, 1953) was an American geologist and mountaineer.
He was born in Boulder, Colorado, to Herbert J. Gilkey (1890–1976) and Mildred (Talbot) Gilkey, and was raised in
Ames, Iowa
Ames () is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States, located approximately north of Des Moines in central Iowa. It is best known as the home of Iowa State University (ISU), with leading agriculture, design, engineering, and veterinary medici ...
, where his father was a professor of Engineering. He earned a
Bachelor's of Science degree from Iowa State in 1949 and, after a tour of duty in the Navy during
World War II, began graduate study in Geology at
Columbia University, where he earned a Master of Science degree in 1950. Prior to his death, Gilkey had completed his doctoral dissertation, “Fracture Pattern of the
Zuni Uplift Zuni may refer to:
Peoples and languages
* Zuni people, an indigenous people of the United States
* Zuni language, their language
Places
* Zuni, Virginia, an unincorporated town in Virginia in the United States
* Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico, a c ...
,” and was posthumously awarded a Ph.D. His thesis advisor was
Walter H. Bucher
Walter Hermann Bucher (March 12, 1888 – February 17, 1965) was a German-American geologist and paleontologist.
He was born in Akron, Ohio, to Swiss-German parents. The family then returned to Germany, where he was raised.
In 1911 he was ...
. An article Gilkey wrote with
Arie Poldervaart
Arie Poldervaart (6 July 1918, Bandung, Indonesia – 28 October 1964, Manhattan) was a Dutch petrologist and leading expert on igneous and metamorphic rocks. He was a Guggenheim Fellow for the academic year 1959–1960.
Biography
Arie Poldervaar ...
was published posthumously.
Gilkey explored Alaska in 1950 and 1952. He died during the
1953 American expedition to summit
K2. At Camp III, he came down with
thrombophlebitis (blood clots in the leg) or possibly
deep venous thrombosis, followed by
pulmonary embolism. His fellow expedition members, including
Charles Houston and
Pete Schoening, immediately turned back in an attempt to save his life. During the descent, Gilkey, wrapped in a sleeping bag, suddenly disappeared. It is believed he was swept away by an
avalanche, but others conjecture that he untied himself from the ropes to spare his teammates from further risk on his behalf. Gilkey's remains were discovered in 1993, melting out of the glacier at the base of the south face of K2.
See also
*
List of solved missing person cases
Memorials
* The
Gilkey Memorial
The Gilkey Memorial is a memorial and tomb for those who have died while climbing K2. The memorial is named after Art Gilkey who died on the mountain in 1953.
The memorial is a stone cairn covered with metal plaques. Each plaque is inscribed wi ...
to deceased climbers, situated below K2, was originally built for, and named after, Art Gilkey.
* The American Alpine Club administers the Arthur K. Gilkey Memorial Award, providing grants in aid of scientific research in alpine areas.
References
1926 births
1950s missing person cases
1953 deaths
20th-century American geologists
American mountain climbers
Columbia University alumni
Deaths from pulmonary embolism
Formerly missing people
Missing person cases in Pakistan
Mountaineering deaths on K2
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