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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 {{US-geologist-stub