Darrell Hartman
Hurleyville, NY – In 1993, the Ohio State University (OSU) Byrd Polar Center, in partnership with the Hurleyville-based Frederick Cook Society, hosted a two-day symposium at the OSU campus, with lectures by some of the world’s foremost Arctic scholars and historians. “Cook Reconsidered - Discovering the Man and His Explorations” presented 10 professional papers on the life and work of Hortonville native Frederick Albert Cook (1865-1940), which remains available online: https://kb.osu.edu/handle/1811/44488
On the 30th anniversary of the symposium, the Frederick Cook Society will host its own version, titled “FA Cook, Reimagined.” Four speakers will present: authors Darrell Hartman and Julian Sancton, curator Laura Kissel from the Byrd Polar Center at the Ohio State University, and Carol Smith, Executive Director of the Cook Society.
Distinguishing the Hurleyville symposium will be an exhibition of over 60 photographs taken by Dr. Cook between 1891 and 1909, during his expeditions to Greenland, Antarctica, Alaska, and the North Pole. The photographs, which have been mounted alongside quotes and excerpts from Cook’s own extensive collection of writings, present an authentic and comprehensive portrait of the man.
Dr. Cook wrote several important books about his expeditions and many articles on a vast array of topics, from Inuit health, to world hunger and climate change. A quiet, reflective man, Cook’s literary works were not just about his life, but about life itself.
“Frederick Cook’s papers and archives held at the Ohio State University Byrd Polar Center tell one part of the story,” noted Smith. “Darrell Hartman’s extensively researched book tells another part. The photographs, exhibited together with excerpts from Cook’s writings, we hope will offer a new perspective. Frederick Cook was a visionary artist, whose mythical accomplishments distinguish him as one of the most unique figures in the history of exploration.”
The symposium will take place from 4-7 p.m. on Saturday, June 17, at the Sullivan County Museum, 265 Main Street, Hurleyville.
The project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant Program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support from the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by Delaware Valley Arts Alliance.
About Darrell Hartman
Darrell Hartman was born in Brunswick, Maine, has lived in Brooklyn for many years, and recently purchased a home in Livingston Manor in Sullivan County. He has written for The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, The Paris Review, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, and Granta. He holds a B.A. in literature from Yale University and is a member of The Explorers Club in New York. “Battle of Ink and Ice” is his debut book, and it was recently given a highly prestigious starred review by Kirkus.
Douglas Preston, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller “The Lost City of the Monkey God,” provided this review of Hartman’s book: “’The Battle of Ink and Ice’ tells the absolutely gripping story of the greatest disputation in the history of exploration: the battle between Cook and Peary over the discovery of the North Pole. But what takes this story to another level is the role that two big newspapers played in the controversy, taking opposite sides. The book paints unforgettable portraits of the outrageous, incendiary and drunken James Gordon Bennett Jr., publisher of the New York Herald, versus the upstanding and capable Adolph Ochs, founder of the modern New York Times. Beautifully written and researched, this book is a perfectly splendid read. I highly, highly recommend it.”
About Julian Sancton
Julian Sancton is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in Vanity Fair, Esquire, GQ, The New Yorker, Departures, and Playboy, among other publications. He has reported from every continent, including Antarctica, which he first visited while researching his book, “Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica’s Journey Into the Dark Antarctic Night.”
The well-reviewed book focuses on Dr. Cook’s and yet-to-be-famous fellow explorer Roald Amundsen’s plan to free the Belgica in “a last-ditch, nearly certain-to-fail escape from the ice—one that would either etch their names in history or doom them to a terrible fate at the ocean’s bottom,” according to publisher Penguin Random House.
About Laura Kissel
Laura Kissel is the Polar Curator for the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Archival Program (Polar Archives), a position that she has held since 1996. Laura’s primary responsibilities involve assisting students, scholars and other researchers in using the many collections held by the Polar Archives that document the history of polar exploration. Laura holds a bachelor’s Degree from The Ohio State University, and a Master’s in Library and Information Science from Kent State University. Her talk will focus on the Frederick Cook Society Archive collection, which was donated to the Byrd Polar Research Center in 1996 by the Cook Society.
About Carol Smith
Carol Smith holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Florida State University, and has worked in non-profit arts and education organizations for over 20 years. Her talk will focus on the role of photography in Dr. Cook’s career.
For more information, visit www.frederickcookpolar.org or call 845-434-8044. The Society also maintains a Facebook page.