Ronald Britton and Chapin Montague
Recorded
May 12, 2023
Archived
May 12, 2023
41:19 minutes
0:00 / 0:00
Id:
ddv002484
Description
Ronald "Ron" Britton (71) recounts to StoryCorps facilitator Chapin Montague [no age given] his youth as a self-proclaimed military brat, the lives of his parents, and his career in oceanography and marine biology, all while sitting on the wood-lined deck of his Alaska home.Subject Log / Time Code
Ronald "Ron" Britton (RB) recalls to StoryCorps facilitator Chapin Montague (CM) his origins, having been born on an Air Force base in Mississippi and later on moving to an Air Force base in France.
RB describes his parents' respective lifestyle shifts upon his father joining the military.
RB speaks to how the bases looked and felt while he was growing up.
RB talks about his experience moving into off-base housing.
RB describes his moves to Montana, Colorado, and California after leaving France.
RB recalls his family life at home with just him, his brother, and his mother. He describes his correspondence with his father that took place on reel-to-reel tapes sent back and forth between them.
RB talks about his father's piano skills and involvement in choir music. RB recalls his father becoming a choir director later in life. He also describes his father's music group in Vietnam, which had enough success to perform on The Ed Sullivan Show.
RB describes reading his father's journal.
RB reflects on the life and lineage of his mother.
RB recounts his mother's influence on his interest in science. He narrates how this would ultimately lead to his work in oceanography.
RB remembers his mother returning to school for two years, becoming a certified medical technologist, and then working at a military hospital.
RB recalls his father's funerary service. He recounts the neighbors telling him when they noticed his father had not played the piano for a while.
RB speaks about unknowingly being color blind and discovering it upon trying to join the military.
RB talks about his education and his career in marine biology. He highlights his work in oil spill response.
RB describes how it felt to move every three years as a child and how that upbringing impacted him.
RB recounts his work diving in Antarctica.
RB discusses his brother.
RB tells the story of how he came to live in Alaska. He describes initially moving there because of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. He goes on to speak about the care he developed for the sea otters affected, and his decision to stick around and create a contingency plan for them.
Participants
- Ronald Britton
- Chapin Montague