This book is an invitation to follow the adventurous story of a Southern California boy from his childhood experiences in the 1920s and 30s to his retirement to Michigan in 1985. Albert (Al) Chapman grew up in a modest neighborhood of Pasadena, California, where his father was a doctor and his mother a well educated woman who largely devoted herself to raising their children. Al was the youngest of four boys in this lively family and benefitted greatly from Pasadena’s excellent school system and many cultural attractions.
World War II brought an abrupt change to Al’s life, first from the loss by cancer of his close brother Phil and then through service in the U.S. Army Air Corps. His military service ended as part of a ground crew working on light bombers which raided Kyushu from Okinawa before Japan’s surrender.
Al received a BA degree from Stanford University in 1948 and then, taking advantage of the G.I. Bill, started graduate studies in geography at Northwestern University. It was there that he met Suzanne Sizer and married her in 1951. She opted to join him for his travel to Turkey for doctoral research on its transportation system. Al was convinced that he could never have completed his work there without her help. He was awarded his PhD in geography in 1954.
Al and Sue then spent some years in American academia and starting a family before an offer from the U.S. Foreign Service transformed their lives. It seemed to Al that some powerful deity had created the position of Geographic Attaché just for him. How could he possibly turn down an offer to be posted at American embassies and live and travel abroad collecting maps for the U.S. Government? Sue, too, was thrilled with the prospect of living abroad and using her language and home-making skills in a foreign environment.
They lived in New Delhi, India, during the period 1957-61, while Al hunted for maps throughout India, West and East Pakistan, Ceylon, Nepal, Afghanistan, and Iran. The youngest of their three boys was born in New Delhi.
Following a transfer to Paris, they enjoyed the cultural life and Al collected maps from the countries of southwestern Europe. Sue hated to leave Paris after three years there. Later they lived for five years in Bonn, Germany, where Al frequently sought to collect maps and geographic information behind the Iron Curtain, with scant success.
In 1973 Al was able to transition into more important diplomatic work as Science Attaché in Tehran, Iran. He was an early skeptic of the Shah’s announced peaceful ambitions in the field of nuclear energy. Al was later posted as Science Attaché to Stockholm, Sweden, where, among other diplomatic work, he had duties relating to the award of Nobel prizes.
Al wound up his Foreign Service career in the Office of Polar Affairs, in the Department of State. His most noteworthy accomplishment in this final assignment was leading a four-person team on an official inspection of foreign research stations in Antarctica. After this ten-week voyage aboard a U.S. icebreaker around two-thirds of Antarctica he produced a report that was undoubtedly the high point in his Foreign Service career.
This bare bones sketch does scant justice to the pages of this book and to the human part of Al Chapman’s career. The reader should also not neglect Sue’s version of some of their Foreign Service experiences, which are also included.
World War II brought an abrupt change to Al’s life, first from the loss by cancer of his close brother Phil and then through service in the U.S. Army Air Corps. His military service ended as part of a ground crew working on light bombers which raided Kyushu from Okinawa before Japan’s surrender.
Al received a BA degree from Stanford University in 1948 and then, taking advantage of the G.I. Bill, started graduate studies in geography at Northwestern University. It was there that he met Suzanne Sizer and married her in 1951. She opted to join him for his travel to Turkey for doctoral research on its transportation system. Al was convinced that he could never have completed his work there without her help. He was awarded his PhD in geography in 1954.
Al and Sue then spent some years in American academia and starting a family before an offer from the U.S. Foreign Service transformed their lives. It seemed to Al that some powerful deity had created the position of Geographic Attaché just for him. How could he possibly turn down an offer to be posted at American embassies and live and travel abroad collecting maps for the U.S. Government? Sue, too, was thrilled with the prospect of living abroad and using her language and home-making skills in a foreign environment.
They lived in New Delhi, India, during the period 1957-61, while Al hunted for maps throughout India, West and East Pakistan, Ceylon, Nepal, Afghanistan, and Iran. The youngest of their three boys was born in New Delhi.
Following a transfer to Paris, they enjoyed the cultural life and Al collected maps from the countries of southwestern Europe. Sue hated to leave Paris after three years there. Later they lived for five years in Bonn, Germany, where Al frequently sought to collect maps and geographic information behind the Iron Curtain, with scant success.
In 1973 Al was able to transition into more important diplomatic work as Science Attaché in Tehran, Iran. He was an early skeptic of the Shah’s announced peaceful ambitions in the field of nuclear energy. Al was later posted as Science Attaché to Stockholm, Sweden, where, among other diplomatic work, he had duties relating to the award of Nobel prizes.
Al wound up his Foreign Service career in the Office of Polar Affairs, in the Department of State. His most noteworthy accomplishment in this final assignment was leading a four-person team on an official inspection of foreign research stations in Antarctica. After this ten-week voyage aboard a U.S. icebreaker around two-thirds of Antarctica he produced a report that was undoubtedly the high point in his Foreign Service career.
This bare bones sketch does scant justice to the pages of this book and to the human part of Al Chapman’s career. The reader should also not neglect Sue’s version of some of their Foreign Service experiences, which are also included.
