OAEA President's Comments to Emails Received

Wayne White's responses to emails from President's message Nov 2025 (some editing done to take out excess blank space and personal contact information-no  other content has been changed or removed).  They are in order received:

From Member Ralph Harvey:

Hi Wayne,  thanks for the update email.

 You specifically asked about "early crews" relationships with  the movie  "The Thing".   Here's a relationship with more modern field parties that might amuse you.  Given coping and sharing movies is illegal,  best not to spread this information of course.  So please don't publish this story.   But I guessed you might enjoy the story in any case.  

 I my position as former PI of the Antarctic Search for Meteorites program, I've run our annual "boot camp" that preps our field parties for deployment.  As a part of that, I routinely distribute thumb drives to each of the field party members,  filled with forms,  training manuals, maps, images, packing lists,  etc.    But buried within the file hierarchy on that drive, among all the mundane things, is a folder entitled "Training Videos",  and within that folder is another labelled "Things".  Inside that,  of course,  are illicit copies of all three  "The Thing" movies,  from 1983, 2011 and of course the classic 1951 version.  

  I am especially fond of the latter,  particularly for the early scene where the soldiers first spot something buried in the ice,  and the leader tells them to spread out and stand over the edge of the craft.........   and when they're done and the camera pans out,  you see it's clearly saucer-shaped.   That is one of my favorite "reveals" in any movie of any time, and of course finding aliens is what we do for a living.

 Again, given coping and sharing movies is illegal,  best not to publish this story. 

 All the best,   Ralph

Wayne says:  

Hello Ralph and thank you for the great story! The meteorite searching is very cool and that must be a fun project. I always wanted to come across one but know that's not quite how it works. 

As requested we will not publish your story but I need to tell you that one of the strangest experiences I had during a summer at Pole had to do with an illegal movie download. In general movies are shown constantly at Pole and as there is no paying audience it isn't really given much thought. One summer the area manager from Denver got involved with something we at first thought must have been some kind of international porn ring but turned out to only be a download of a fairly innocuous movie by a summer resident. It had to do with the platform it was downloaded from as it was from a rogue site that violated copyright laws. It was taken very seriously by the NSF and I think even the FBI. I was not involved in the conclusion so don't know how it worked out. Thanks, Wayne 

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From Member Dan Parkin:

Wayne,

In ‘82 when the movie was new a group of us RnR’d to ChCh and saw the Thing before WO at Pole. It was corny at first but we found ourselves quoting the movie until mid winter mail drop and resupplied our VHS tapes. As Comms, RG and I were sure one of us was an alien and the other was real (we just didn't know which was which). Of course the 300 club didn’t help as we were too cold to poke hot wires in blood.

Best to you Brother. Thanks for all you do.

On Ice,

Dan Parkin

Wayne says:

Dan, thanks for the information as I think that will go down as the earliest relationship with the John Carpenter version of The Thing and Pole. My best to you too and thanks for the support! Wayne 

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From Member Mark Vaughn:

Thank you.

Wayne says:

Thank you for the support! Wayne 

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From Life member Stella Leak:

Wayne, thank you for the info and congrats to the scholarship winners.  You wintered over 3 times???  Copying Billy-Ace?  Glad to hear that the OAEA is getting new members.  I have been an associate member for many years and enjoy hearing all  the news.  Am originally from Ch.Ch. married a Navy corpsman in 1960 and moved to U.S.  It is difficult now as 2 1/2 years ago, I moved to Pete's Camp, Baja Ca Norte, (Mexico) but sure do enjoy the prices here.

Please keep up your info.

Kia Ora

Stella Leak

Wayne says:

Hello Stella and thank you for the kind thought of congratulations for scholarship winners. The scholarships are one of the greatest things the OAEA is involved with and while most of us are not getting any younger we can help hardworking young people to achieve dreams. Yes I was the winter manager at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station for three winters. As you mentioned our beloved Billy-Ace, all I can say is he was a great man and I stand in his shadow. Hope you continue to enjoy your Mexico experience! Thanks for your support!  Wayne 

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From Member Lew England:

Your movie story reminded me of one…

I didn’t winter over but was one of an 11 man crew that closed, and salvaged from, Little America V. The Navy pilot who supported our operation lifted several movies from Adm. Tyree’s office and brought them to LAV. We had one night to view them all. I especially remember Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas in “The Gunfight At The OK Corral”. Shortly after we wrapped up the salvage operation and loaded it on the USS Arnab, accompanied by Glacier, offloaded buildings for Byrd Station. We delivered them by tractor train, across the Ross Ice Shelf. 

Wayne says:

Lew, thanks for the response and that is a wonderful early bit of information about movies that were shown in Antarctica. What a great memory it must be for you! Thank you for your continued support! Wayne 

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From Member Chris Storey:

We watched the John Carpenter version in 1988 at Pole.  I'd be interested in hearing rom others how far back the tradition goes. There were a few places on station that definitely felt creepy for a couple of weeks afterwards. 

Please keep us posted on the documentary. I'd be very interested in seeing it. 

I only knew about the original and Carpenter versions. I should do a Thing marathon!

 Regards,

 Chris Storey

W/O 1988

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Wayne says:

Hello Chris and thanks for the information. One member had an experience with it in 1982 shortly after its release but I don't know its actual first showing at Pole. Also at what point did it became a tradition?  

 You are right about the creepy feeling and you must have been in the Dome. Even in the Amundsen-Scott Station there are many "creepy" spots. 

 

Yes start your own The Thing tradition, I do it and its a lot of fun even far away from that cold, dark icecap. Thanks for your continued support! Wayne 

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From Member Dr. Dewey Painter:

Good newsletter, thanks

 Dewey

Wayne says:

Dewey, happy you enjoyed it and thanks you for all you do for us! Wayne 

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From Member Earl Hills:

Thanks for the newsletter

Wayne says:

Earl thanks for the continued support! 

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From the email address of Member Kerry Barnett:

Thank you.

Wayne says:

Thank you for the continued support! 

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From Member Dave Read: 

Wayne-

 Thanks for  your emails and for reminding folks of the value in making a donation to the OAEA via a Qualified Charitable Donation. A few days ago I followed your suggestion after turning 73 this year. I hope it helps the organization.

Dave Read, 

McMurdo and the Dry Valley Drilling Project (74-75)

Wayne says:

Dave thank you for the donation! We rely heavily on such and it means a lot to us when members step up and make one. Thanks so much! Wayne

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