A Student of the Eskimos

The Atomic Energy Commission's Operation "Plowshare" is devoted to developing peaceful uses of atomic energy, and for the past year Tom Stone '60, a Senior Fellow from Hickory Corners, Mich., has been actively involved in one of their more interesting experiments. Code-named "Chariot," this particular project is seeking to determine the feasibility of using nuclear devices to blast a man-made harbor where there was none before.

Actually Tom has nothing to do with the technical aspects of the plan; his work concerns the possible results of such an undertaking in human terms. A prospective site in northern Alaska has been selected for the first experimental attempt and, before even considering the final decision to unleash nuclear detonations in this confined and habitable region, the AEC is conducting exhaustive environmental studies oh all forms of life in the area, from bacteria on up. They are especially concerned about a group of Eskimo settlements about thirty miles away from the harbor site. These would have to be moved to another location if the blast is set off, and that's where Tom comes in. He is part of a team studying these simple folk and meticulously recording their ways. For before proceeding further, the AEC scientists wish to determine if the resultant cultural upheaval could be permanently damaging to the Eskimos. In addition, if the tribes are to be moved in any case, they wish to have an exact record of their former way of life so that it might be duplicated as exactly as possible in the new location and the more subtle effects of the transition carefully studied for future reference.

As part of his research, Tom spent last summer living among these tribes, working and hunting with them and taking careful notes on what he learned. Eventually this material, along with that from other sources, will be compounded into an extensive report for the Commission. A good bit of his work concerned acculturation, specifically the results of cultural contacts between Eskimos and whites, which he has been able to work into his Senior Fellow project, "The Destiny of the Eskimo People in the Modern World."

Tom is a philosophy major, but he is no stranger to the rugged realities of the Arctic. He spent his two previous summer vacations in the far north working for the U.S. Weather Bureau in Greenland, Canada, and on Elsmere Island. His interest in the Arctic is a tribute to the influence of Vilhjalmur Stefansson and his arctic library upon Dartmouth students. One day in the middle of his freshman year Tom became curious and looked in on the collection. Later he took some of the northern studies courses given by the Geography Department and eventually he elected the Arctic Seminar. His excellent work and obvious interest in the subject were soon apparent, and when the AEC came to Dr. Stefansson for someone to take on part of their project, Tom was picked as the right man for the job.

Relating his interest in the Arctic to other talents, Tom has also written two plays, Time for the Wolf and CryThrough the Village, both of which were based upon his summer experiences. They were later produced by the Dartmouth Players and won first and third prizes respectively in the Frost play competition. He also is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the Flying Club, and the Mountaineering Club, whose journal he has edited.

Plans after graduation are still uncertain. He'd like to follow up his arctic work in some way, but there are a lot of other factors in the picture. There's a good possibility, he thinks, that going on into teaching might be the best course in the end, imbuing others with the fascination he has found in his wide-ranging interests.

Tom Stone '60