Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Obits in Brief: Edith 'Jackie' Ronne

Wednesday 01 July 2009 00:00 BST
Comments

Edith Ronne, who died on 14 June aged 89, became one of the first two American women to overwinter in Antarctica, in 1947 when she accompanied her husband, the explorer Finn Ronne.

Known as Jackie, Edith Ronne was born in Baltimore in 1919. She married Finn in 1945, and two years later went to Beaumont, Texas, to see him off on the trip. Her husband persuaded her to travel with his team, step by step, to Panama, then Chile, and eventually she agreed to go all the way as long as Jennie Darlington, the wife of the chief pilot, also went. Jackie served as the trip's historian.

The 15-month expedition was riven by conflict, but the two women are credited with helping smooth things over as the group proved conclusively that Antarctica is a single land mass.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in