Rex, Daniel (Dan), 1988-06-17

Oral history interview with Daniel Rex, 1988. Interviewed by Earl Droessler. 1 sound cassette (ca. 1 hr.) : analog, mono. Two physical versions (one master, one copy). Transcript (23 pgs.). Forms part of the UCAR/NCAR Oral History Collection. Walter Orr Roberts, the director of the High Altitude Observatory (HAO) and the first director of NCAR, recruited Daniel (Dan) F. Rex from the Navy in the early 1960s to join the not yet materialized national center as chief administrator officer with a focus on facilities. In this interview Rex talks about the planning and design that went into taking NCAR as a concept from the “Blue Book” to an organization with people, facilities, goals and purpose. Rex speaks at length about the facilities program and the facilities themselves, particularly the balloon flight facility, computing facility and aviation facility, and their significance to NCAR’s operation. Rex also shares a little bit about his life history and experiences, including family, education, professional path, war time (World War II), marriage and having children.