received a medal, authorized by a special act of Congress. It is inscribed: "Presented to the officers and men of the Byrd Antarctic Expedition l [for] their heroic and undaunted service in connection with scientific investigations and extraordinary aerial exploration of the Antarctic Continent." Bursey missed Byrd's second Antarctic expedition in the early 1930s. While conducting tours of the City of New York at the Chicago World's Fair, he met and subsequently married Ada DeGraff from Grand Rapids, Michigan, one of the first women to fly in west Michigan. They had one daughter, Gloria. The SS City of New York sank on a rocky shoal at Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, in 1962. Third Byrd expedition Jack Bursey went on to accompany Byrd on his third Antarctic expedition in 1939–41, during which he and two other men made one of the longest dog-team trips ever recorded. They sledged into Marie Byrd Land over the Ross Ice Shelf, the first known men to step on this land, traveling more than in 83 days. Today there are mountains in the Hal Flood Range named after them: Mount Bursey (), Mount Moulton and Mount Berlin. Once again, each of the men on the expedition received a special Congressional medal. During World War II, he joined the U.S. Coast Guard and was captain of a freight and supply ship in the Philippines. In 1955, by then a lieutenant commander, Bursey was assigned to Operation Deep Freeze for the International Geophysical Year. On this expedition he led a party of Seabees a distance of toward Byrd Station at latitude 80 degrees south, traveling in two vehicle-type Sno-Cats and one tractor-type Weasel. But for the first time the deadly crevasses defeated Bursey and his party. Unable to get through, he was ordered back to the base. On the way home in 1957, Bursey received word that Admiral Byrd had died. Other activities Between the later expeditions and for years afterward, Bursey lectured across the U.S. and at schools, often showing original 16mm films taken during the expeditions. Jack Bursey is the author of two books: Antarctic Night (Chicago: Rand McNally, 1957) St Lunaire, Antarctic Lead Dog (Glory Publishing Co, 1974) References Quotes and material used in this article were provided by Jack Bursey's daughter, Gloria, who interviewed him for articles, including one in the Grand Rapids Press. 1903 births 1978 deaths People from Newfoundland (island) People from Montague,