ELTON STERLING THAYER

1927-1954

Elton Sterling Thayer was born March 30, 1927, at Readsboro, Vermont, and was killed in a climbing accident May 16, 1954, on Mt. McKinley, McKinley Park, Alaska.

After residing in Vermont during childhood and early youth, he served in the United States Army from 1945 to 1948. His major tour of duty was at Ladd Air Force Base, Fairbanks, Alaska.

Thayer had completed three years at the University of Alaska and had been employed as a ranger by the U.S. National Park Service for the past year, as well as during three previous summers. He was an outstanding student in Wildlife Management and excelled in his work at McKinley Park.

A climbing expedition of four men, organized by Thayer, left April 17th to make an ascent of Mt. McKinley by way of the South Buttress, a route over which no one had previously reached the summit. On May 15th they were at the summit. The following day, during the descent of Karsten’s Ridge, near the Harper Icefall, an accident occurred in which Elton was killed instantly.

Mountaineering had become a major interest in Elton’s life in recent years. Other ascents he had made include Mt. Hess and King Peak. While there are various satisfactions derived from mountaineering, Elton felt that the foremost benefit for him was a personal spiritual enrichment. God, Who created him as well as the mountains, became much more real to him through these experiences.

He was married September 20, 1953 to Berenice M. Luthro at Fairbanks Lutheran Church. Others who survive his passing, besides his wife and son, Elton, Jr., include his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Verne S. Thayer, Readsboro, Vermont, with whom he lived in early years; his father, Elton V. Thayer, Somerville, Massachusetts; his mother, Mrs. Dorothy Robbins, West Springfield, Massachusetts; a sister, Mrs. Don Carey, Keene, New Hampshire; and an uncle, Ernest Thayer, Long Beach, Calif.

A memorial wreath was dropped on Mt. McKinley near the accident scene several weeks after his funeral, May 30, 1954.

As a friend and climbing companion Elton could not be surpassed. He was one of the few men I have ever known who had strong religious beliefs and actually practiced them in his everyday life. He loved the mountains, the wilderness, and all forms of wild life that dwell in the vast forests of Alaska. As a mountaineer he was a tireless walker, a strong climber, and completely unselfish and considerate under even the most trying conditions.

Those who knew Elton and were inspired by his character are fortunate, but they may forget him in time. Those who were close to Elton, who climbed and suffered with him, I am sure will never forget him, especially when they look south from Fairbanks on a clear day and see his majestic monument, Mt. McKinley.

Alston Paige