Member Spotlight Archive

Dr. Eliot Herman is a Member and Principal Investigator at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis. His research program primarily focuses on seed biology, biotechnology, mitigation of food allergy by altering allergen content of plants, aquaculture feed, and biofuels. His work has resulted in the first private sector spin-off from the Danforth Center, Agrius BioForms LLC. He has also conducted research on diverse subjects such as the adaptation of plants to freezing temperature and the biology of red tide organisms. A former U.S. Department of Agriculture scientist he held a supergrade-level and was awarded the USDA’s highest annual award; the Plow Award in 2004 by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture for his work on altering allergen content of soybeans. He has been a visiting scientist in both Japan and Israel, he has served as a National Science Foundation Program Director and he has worked as a Science Fellow at the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm. He has a lifelong interest in the plants and animals on both the land and oceans of the world and often travels to less visited parts of the planet. He is an avid amateur wildlife photographer and flyfisherman. He has been a fellow of the Explorers Club since 2005.

An active participant in activities of St. Louis Chapter/The Explorers Club for several years, Gretchen Freund was recently elected a Fellow National of The Explorers Club, Inc. Gretchen is both an accomplished photographer with award-winning wildlife photographs to her credit and is a conservationist and researcher of international fame. She spends a large part of each year engaged in research field work outside the continental U.S. Her exploration interests include the study of indigenous cultures of Polar Inuits and documentation of the cultural events and daily life of people in some of the most remote areas of Mongolia (having recently returned to the Altai Mountains there to photo document that area’s pictographs, petroglyphs and “standing stone men”). Another research and exploration interest is that of marine and land wildlife behavior. Gretchen has been invited twice by the Polar Inuits to accompany them on their hunts for the Narwhal whale (quite an honor to have bestowed on anyone from outside their culture!) to document this unusual event that is peculiar to their culture. In 2005 she gave a fascinating presentation using her photographs of the hunt and its participants for our Chapter. For more than six years Gretchen has participated in field work and research efforts at Punta Norte Orca Research (PNOR) organization on Peninsula Valdes, Argentina. On November 12, 2008, Gretchen presented a program for our St. Louis Chapter about the research performed at Peninsula Valdes.

Enjoy some of Gretchen’s photographs by visiting www.gretchenfreund.com.

Cynthia (“Cindy”) S. Peters (MN ’07) possesses a love for exploration. Earlier this year, she participated as a volunteer in the Caudwell Xtreme Everest, a medical expedition to Everest Base Camp, coordinated by a British research team from University College London Centre for Altitude, Space, and Extreme environmental medicine. The purpose of the research performed on Everest was that of monitoring the physical and cognitive effects of hypoxia on the human body. It is anticipated that the results of their studies will provide additional insight to help treat critically ill, hypoxic ICU patients.

Her wide travel experience, interst in learning about other civilizations, keen observation of people who live in places she has visited – particularly those who have special environmental needs – has fostered in her a spirit of conservation of nature. She is an active supporter of environmental conservation. She has deep concern that the untamed beauty of our Planet should be preserved for future generations of “explorers.” That these are not superficial interests becomes apparent in conversations with her. She understands and is concerned about the importance of the impact of outside pressures on cultures and environment. Cindy is frequently invited to discuss and share with groups her observations related to conservation upon return from such unusual destinations.

Jane Fisher has just been honored by MVOR (Mississippi Valley Ozark Regional) cave exploration at a conference held last week at the Meramec River. Over 540 cavers from around the Midwest gathered and honored Jane with tributes and all were wearing “We Love You Jane” plastic wrist bands distributed at registration for the conference. KETC-TV Channel 9 interviewed Jane for an upciming program about her life. She proudly promoted The Explorers Club. Congratulations, Jane!!!

John Wall (MN ’07) is a licensed Airline Transport Pilot, Flight Instructor, Sport Parachuting Instructor, and BASE Jumper. He has been a pilot and airborne videographer for several cutting edge experiments and aerial stunt attempts. John has logged over 2500 sport parachute jumps and 6000 hours of flight time.

John is also an avid skier and mountaineer and has organized and led numerous climbs in Europe, Alaska, and Latin America. He is a member of the National Ski Patrol, a Wilderness EMT, and is very active in teaching Wilderness Medicine and Mountain Rescue techniques for the Alaska Mountain Rescue Company.

John currently is a Law Student at Washington University in St. Louis and is conducting research and planning for an archeological expedition to the Himalayas to search for Allied Aircraft missing since the Second World War.

Jim Thompson is an avid cave explorer and Master Diver. His research into using infrared thermography to locate the heat signatures of caves is currently being used in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey in studies to locate caves.

In addition to loving finding terra incognita underground, Jim has a Commercial Multi Engine pilots license and spends his “free” time looking for caves from his hot air balloon “Flourish” or at sea.

Owner of Jim Thompson & Company Disaster Strike Force, his company cleans up after commercial disasters, nationwide.

Jim is currently serving as an advisor with the L. Ron Hubbard Foundation. The Foundation encourages and supports scientific research and exploration.

Mabel Purkerson is Professor Emerita of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine. Her primary vocation has been that of physician/scientific investigator in nephrology (kidney specialist) on the faculty of Washington University. With colleagues, she investigated metabolic, physiological and structural alterations that accompany the decline in kidney function in chronic renal disease; the consequences of malnutrition and clinical defects they produce in renal function; and, the mechanisms of kidney failure resulting from urinary tract obstruction.

Always interested in the world environment, ecology, people and native customs, she has traveled extensively in North, East and South Africa, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Western China (Gobi Desert and Mongolia), South America and Japan. Last year she retraced the footsteps of the great explorers who searched for the source of the Nile.

Few people understand how to put disappointment behind themselves better than land speed racer Pat Rummerfield.

Rummerfield recently set a class record for speed in the Xtreme Freedom Special at the Bonneville Salt Flats, but the record he set was not the one he wanted and he has vowed to return to the world famous salt in Utah and achieve his goal.

“We’ll go back to Bonneville in October,” Rummerfield said. “Our team is very goal oriented.”

Rummerfield’s life is a story of stretching out for goals that seem unreachable. After a 1974 passenger car accident left him paralyzed from the neck down, Rummerfield became the world’s first quadriplegic to regain fully functional status. He has since become the Director of Development for the Kennedy Krieger Institute’s International Center for Spinal Cord Injury.

The Xtreme Freedom Special, which is owned by Gil Gillis of Camarillo, Calif., has become a marketing tool for Rummerfield’s efforts to raise awareness and funds for the Center.

Rummerfield set a record of 119.6025 in the Southern California Timing Association’s F Modified Roadster class for cars with three liter, blown engines using fuel. The original plan was to break the overall F Gas Modified Roadster record but conditions at Bonneville were so rough that the computer-aided fuel system did not function properly.

“We had hoped to get the car up over 240 mph,” Gillis said. “The salt was the roughest I’ve ever seen it and we just couldn’t get the car to run the way it was capable of performing. But we’ll go back in October and, if the conditions are right, Pat will get the overall record in F Blown Modified Roadster.”

The Xtreme Freedom Special is propelled by a front wheel drive transmission. It weighs about 2,000 pounds and has a 160-inch wheel base. Its Toyota engine can produce about 500 horsepower and the car rolls along on Goodyear Land Speed Specials.

For the time being, Rummerfield will get back to his responsibilities with the Center, but he carries with him a precious memory. While he was at Bonneville, a family approached him and thanked him for the work the Center does toward recovery from spinal cord injuries. A family member had suffered such an injury.

“If we can increase public awareness of the Center’s work, then we can keep making progress,” Rummerfield said. “That’s why we do this.”

Rummerfield, who is a member of the Explorers Club, is the Director of Development for the Kennedy Krieger Institute’s International Center for Spinal Cord Injury. He is the world’s first fully functional quadriplegic. The land speed attempt is part of his effort to increase awareness of the search for ways to overcome spinal cord disorders/injuries that cause paralysis. More information on the Center is available at www.spinalcordrecovery.org.