Becomes mission-saving hero on South Pole trip
days before GoFundMe.
John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Edsel Ford were Byrd’s main backers; companies desperate to cash in on the public’s interest gave tons of goods.
That came to about $600,000, a huge sum then “possible only because Byrd traded favors shamelessly — as much a wheeler-dealer as he was a voyager.”
Among the companies that paid to be part of this thrilling expedition was The New York Times. Though all newspapers covered the journey and a film was made about it, The Times paid to have its reporter onboard.
Unlike Gawronski, at least he was supposed to be there.
But the teen earned his keep. When the sailors endured storms that left old salts heaving off the side of the ships, Gawronski maintained his sea legs from the start.
He worked incredibly hard at a number of less than glamorous jobs. He was promoted from mess boy to coal pusher, then to fire stoker. His telegrams home were published in the papers.
The ships made their way down to New Zealand, where they would restock and the men could have some fun.
When they finally reached Antarctica, the crew went about building Byrd’s underground Little America, a compound that included a library.
It was hard work in horrific conditions. Gawronski kept at it, hoping to be picked to stay over the winter with Byrd.
Gawronski even himself a hero.
One day, a shelf of ice broke off. The men were separated on the floes, and an aluminum plane wing fell through the gap into the frigid water. Without it, there would be no flight to map the South Pole. proved
“Fear gripped all near. Lives were at risk, and if they lost the Ford (aircraft’s) wing, there would be no South Pole flight — the signature event of the twoyear endeavor,” Shapiro writes.
While others held his legs, Gawronski wedged his body into the ice crack and fished out the fallen part.
Still, Byrd did not choose him to stay for the rest of the mission, and Gawronski sailed south on one of the ships.
The returning sailors were heralded as heroes, given congressional honors and huge parades. They were celebrities. Soon, though, Depression hit. the Great
The next time the shipmates held a reunion, they shared a free Thanksgiving meal for hungry sailors.
Gawronski returned to a landlubber’s life, but couldn’t stand it. He tried a few jobs, even considered becoming a dentist. But the sea always called. He joined the Merchant Marines, rising to the rank of captain. He served in World War II, but never made it back to Antarctica.
There’s no mention of whether any kids ever tried to stow away on his ship.