Following
the announcement by the White House that H.
Arnold Karo had been appointed Director
of the Coast and Geodetic Survey by President Eisenhower, with
the rank of Rear Admiral, the oath of office was administered
to him in the Office of the Secretary of Commerce on Wednesday
morning, August 17, 1955, by Assistant Secretary of Commerce
Teetor.
Admiral Karo was born on December 24, 1903, in Lyons, Nebraska.
He received his education at the elementary high schools of
Lyons and graduated from the University of Nebraska, with
the degree of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. Immediately
following his graduation he entered on duty in the Coast and
Geodetic Survey and has advanced successively through the
ranks from Ensign to his present position.
During his long and notable career, Admiral Karo has spent
22 years at sea aboard the Bureau's vessels engaged on surveying
the coastal waters along the Atlantic coast, in the Gulf of
Mexico, along the Pacific Coast in Alaska, and in the Philippine
Islands. His various shipboard assignments have included Commanding
Officer of the Ships WESTDAHL, LYDONIA, FATHOMER, SURVEYOR,
and EXPLORER.
In 1941, while commanding the LYDONIA, he received a commendation
from the Governor of the Leeward Islands for the excellent
cooperation and goodwill maintained during his tour of duty
in those islands of the West Indies.
In 1950, while commanding the EXPLORER, he was commended by
the Secretary for aiding in the rescue of a severely injured
Eskimo in a remote area of Alaska.
During World War II Admiral Karo was transferred by Executive
Order from the Coast and Geodetic Survey to the service and
jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Air Forces where he held various
assignments. Beginning in June 1943 he was assigned for more
than 2 years as Commanding Officer of the Aeronautical Chart
Plant in St. Louis, Missouri. At that time the plant had just
been established and was not yet in full operation. As a result
of Admiral Karo's administration and guidance outstanding
achievements were accomplished in organizing the plant, and
today it is recognized as being among the most important map
reproduction plants in the world. He received special commendations
from the Commanding General of the Air Force and members of
the Air Staff for the work completed under his command.
During the summer of 1951 Admiral Karo was the Bureau's representative
at the British Commonwealth Survey Officer's Conference in
London, England, where he conferred with the leading European
hydrographic officials concerning surveying and charting problems
of mutual interest.
Admiral Karo was selected by the Secretary of Commerce as
one of the two Department of Commerce participants in the
1954-1956 course of study at the Industrial College of the
Armed Forces at Fort McNair, Washington, D.C., from which
he recently graduated. He prepared an extensive analysis of
the present status of World Mapping. This comprehensive 100-page
paper, with 12 status maps printed in color, was reproduced
and distributed to various organizations and agencies interested
in this subject.
Prior to his appointment as Director of the Coast and Geodetic
Survey, Admiral Karo served for the past 4 years as Chief
of the Chart Division with the rank of Captain. Under his
leadership the total number of charts printed has increased
to over 40,000,000 copies per year; a rate of production greater
than achieved during World War II. As head of this division,
he was responsible for the production and distribution of
all nautical and aeronautical charts issued by the Bureau
for the use of the Merchant Marine, civil aviation, and the
Armed Forces; the compilation of a number of related publications;
and the operation of the Bureau's reproduction plant.
Admiral Karo is a member of the United States Naval Institute;
American Society of Photogrammetry; Society of American Military
Engineers; Sigma Xi; Sigma Tau; Masons; and American Congress
on Surveying and Mapping. He is representative of the latter
organization of the National Research Council.
Admiral Karo resides at 6307 Kirby Road, Bethesda, Maryland
with his wife and two children, Douglas Paul and Kathryn Rosalie.
His eldest son, Arnold M. Karo, graduated from Massachusetts
Institute of Technology in 1952 in physical chemistry, with
the degree Doctor of Philosophy. He is now engaged on a special
research project at M.I.T.
Rear Admiral H. Arnold Karo, Director of the Coast and Geodetic
Survey, United States Department of Commerce, was recently
appointed by the President as the Coast and Geodetic Survey
member of the Mississippi River Commission. The Presidential
appointment was confirmed by the United States Senate on July
26, 1956.
As one of the seven members of this important Commission,
Admiral Karo will collaborate in various matters concerning
navigation and flood control on the Mississippi River and
certain major tributaries. The Commission is responsible for
topographic, hydrographic, and hydrometrical surveys of the
river and its tributaries, and for the planning and programming
required to correct, permanently locate, and deepen the channel,
and protect the banks of the Mississippi River. Other duties
include improvement of the river to promote ease of navigation,
prevent destructive floods, promote and facilitate commerce,
trade, and the postal service.
Admiral Karo's long years of service with the Coast and Geodetic
Survey provide an excellent background for carrying on this
important new assignment. Prior to his appointment as Director
of the Bureau about 1 year ago, he saw 22 years of sea duty
aboard various ships engaged in surveying the waters of Alaska,
the Philippines and along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf
Coasts of the United States. He commanded the largest ships
of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Fleet.
During World War II Admiral Karo was transferred from the
Coast and Geodetic Survey to duty with the United States Army
Air Forces. He held various assignments with the Air Forces
and beginning in June 1943 served for more than 2 years as
Commanding Officer of the Aeronautical Plant, St. Louis, Missouri.
As a result of Admiral Karo's administration and guidance
outstanding achievements were accomplished in organizing the
plant which is recognized as being among the most important
map production plants in the world. Special commendations
by the Commanding General of the Air Force and members of
the Air Force staff were received for work completed under
his command.
Admiral Karo completed the resident course of 1954 - 1955
at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley
J. McNair. In the successful completion of this course he
prepared, as his term paper, a comprehensive study of World
Mapping, which is recognized as an authorative digest of the
present scope of surveying and mapping throughout the world.
Admiral Karo is the first vice president of the Society of
American Military Engineers and is a member of the U.S. Naval
Institute, American Society of Photogrammetry and the American
Congress on Surveying and Mapping. He is also a member of
the National Honorary Scientific Society, Sigma Xi, and the
National Honorary Engineering Society, Sigma Tau.
Admiral Karo was born in Lyons, Nebraska, December 24, 1903,
where he attended elementary and high schools. He was graduated
from the University of Nebraska in June 1923 with the degree
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. His mother Mrs.
P.A. Karo, Sr., now resides in Lyons, Nebraska.
Admiral Karo makes his home at 6307 Kirby Road, Bethesda,
Maryland, with his wife and two children, Douglas Paul and
Kathryn Rosalie. His eldest son, Arnold M. Karo, received
his Ph.D. in 1952 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
in physical chemistry and is now engaged on a special research
project at M.I.T.
Meet the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel H. Arnold
Karo. His friendly unassuming manner belies his unique and
extremely interesting career. Colonel Karo was born on Christmas
Eve, 1903, in Lyons, Nebraska. He attended the University
of Nebraska and graduated in 1923 with a Bachelor of Science
degree in Civil Engineering.
Interested in a career of government service and one which
promised adventure and excitement, Colonel Karo took a special
Civil Service examination and entered the service of the U.S.
Coast and Geodetic Survey of the Department of Commerce on
June 25, 1923. He served continuously with the Survey and
had attained the rank of Lieutenant Commander, when, on February
24, 1942, he was transferred to the Army Air Corps with the
rank of Major by Executive Order of the President.
During his 17 years at sea, Colonel Karo spent 5 years in
the Philippines, 6 years in Alaska and the Aleutians, and
divided the remainder among the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean
Sea, and the east and west coasts of the U.S. He has been
in command of the U.S.S. FATHOMER in the Philippines, the
U.S.S. WESTDAHL in Alaska, and the U.S.S. LYDONIA on the Atlantic
coast and in the Caribbean. The purpose of these voyages and
explorations was to make hydrographic surveys, triangulation
control, topographic surveys of the shorelines and adjacent
areas, take soundings to determine the depth of water, and
to locate dangers to navigation and chart them for the safety
of future voyagers.
He has also been engaged on special earthquake investigation
work in California and triangulation control for the Alaska-Canada
boundary. At the time of our entry into World War II, he was
in charge of the Norfolk, Virginia office of the U.S C&GS.
From a scientific viewpoint, Colonel Karo considers his surveys
of the Glacier Bay region the most interesting. This area
represents the closest approach that the world now has to
the ice age.
While in the Philippines, Colonel Karo spent 2 years among
the Moro natives, who comprise about 5/8 of the population
of the Sulu Archipelago. These natives are, strangely, enough
Mohammedans, and are a fierce, somewhat war-like race, although
possessing a large amount of personal integrity. They are
renowned for their use of the "barong," a large curved blade
with razor-sharp edge, with which they quarter their victims.
As a trinket of his travels, Colonel Karo was once presented
with a barong by the Governor of Sulu Province. Incidentally,
that little instrument had been used by an outlaw who had
killed six persons with it before he himself was killed by
the Philippine Constabulary. As might be guessed, the Moros
do not take readily to civilization and it is doubtful if
the Japanese have succeeded in subjugating them.
Colonel Karo has eaten monkey and wild bear steaks which he
shot in the Philippines, done deep sea fishing and giant lobster
hunting in the Caribbean, and hunted bears and deer in Alaska.
The most enjoyable time of his career was the fall and winter
of 1940-1941, which was spent surveying a site for a naval
base at Antigua, British West Indies. This was one of the
bases obtained in the destroyer-swap deal with Great Britain.
The climate was delightful and the inhabitants were very friendly
and hospitable. One of the highlights of this tour of duty
was an inspection of the base site made by President Roosevelt.
After his transfer to the Air Corps, Colonel Karo was assigned
to the First Mapping Group at Bolling Field, D.C., then transferred
to the Office of the Director of Photography, Maps and Charts,
Hq., AAF, where he served until July 1943, when he assumed
command of the Aeronautical Chart Plant.
Looking back over a career of outstanding achievements, Colonel
Karo regards his command of the Aeronautical Chart Plant as
one of the high spots as the contribution of the ACP to the
war effort is without parallel. He stated, "Our fliers must
have accurate charts and the Aeronautical Chart Service is
seeing that they get them."
Vice Admiral H. Arnold Karo, government administrator, engineer,
scientist, author, and lecturer has served as Deputy Administrator
of the Environmental Science Services Administration since
July 13, 1965. From August 1955 to July 12, 1965, Admiral
Karo served as Director of the United States Coast and Geodetic
Survey. During this period of almost 10 years, Admiral Karo
guided the Bureau's program in support of commerce, business,
industry, and engineering; in contributing to the defense
of the Nation; and in making substantial contributions to
the national scientific posture of the United States.
Born December 24, 1903, in Lyons, Nebraska, where he attended
elementary and high schools, Admiral Karo was graduated from
the University of Nebraska with the degree of Bachelor of
Science in Civil Engineering in 1923. He immediately entered
on duty with the Survey where he has spent nearly 42 years
of his professional career. At ceremonies held in February
1958 at Union College, the honorary degree of Doctor of Science
was conferred upon Admiral Karo in recognition of his international
leadership in promoting scientific pursuits in surveying and
charting the national domain. He is also a graduate of the
Industrial College of the Armed Forces.
Admiral Karo served for more than 3 years as Chairman of the
Committee on Cartography, National Research Council, National
Academy of Sciences, which advised the State Department in
matters concerning international cartography. He served as
Chairman of the United States delegation to the 2nd United
Nations Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia and the
Far East held in Tokyo, Japan in 1958, and also headed the
U.S. delegation to the 3rd United Nations Cartographic Conference
held in Bangkok, Thailand in 1961. He represented the U.S.
at the British Commonwealth Survey Officers Conferences held
at London, England, in July 1951, and at Cambridge, England,
in August 1959, and July 1963. He participated in September
1959 as a member of the American Congress on Surveying and
Mapping delegation at the Cracow, Poland conference of the
International Federation of Surveyors. In February 1963, he
served as the United States representative for geodesy and
mapping at the United National Conference on the Application
of Science and Technology for the Benefit of the Less Developed
Areas, at Geneva, Switzerland. In early July 1963, he served
as Chairman of the U.S. delegation to the United Nations Regional
Cartographic Conference for Africa, held a Nairobi, Kenya.
He was a member of the U.S. delegation to the 4th United Nations
Cartographic Conference for Asia and the Far East held in
Manila, Republic of the Philippines, November to December
1964. He represented the Environment Science Services Administration
at the Governor's Conference on Oceanography and Astronautics,
held in Hawaii, September 1965.
Admiral Karo served as the 1957 National President of the
Society of American Military Engineers. He is also past-President
of the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping, Vice President
of the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association,
and Department of Commerce member of the Federal Council's
Interagency Committee on Oceanography. He was a member of
the United States delegation to the oceanographic meeting
held in Copenhagen in July 1960, where the foundation was
laid for the formation of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic
Commission (IOC) in UNESCO. He has been a member of the U.S.
delegation to meetings of the IOC and has played a significant
role in the development and advancement of our national and
international oceanographic program. As the Coast and Geodetic
Survey member of the Mississippi River Commission, Admiral
Karo played an important part in furthering the national program
of developing and improving one of the great waterways of
the world and its tributaries.
Admiral Karo's long years of service in the Coast and Geodetic
Survey have included over 22 years of sea duty aboard various
ships engaged in surveying and charting the waters of Alaska,
the Philippines, the Caribbean, and along the Atlantic, Pacific,
and Gulf Coasts of the United States. He has commanded the
major ships of the Survey fleet. In 1941, while serving as
Commanding Officer of the Ship LYDONIA, Admiral Karo received
a commendation from the Governor of the Leeward Islands for
the excellent cooperation and good will maintained during
his tour of duty in these islands of the West Indies.
During World War II he was transferred to duty with the U.S.
Army Air Forces. He held various assignments, including Commanding
Officer, beginning in 1943, of the Air Forces Aeronautical
Chart Plant at St. Louis, Missouri, with the rank of Colonel,
which had just been activated. As a result of Admiral Karo's
administration and guidance, outstanding achievements were
accomplished in organizing the plant which today is recognized
as being among the most important map reproduction plants
in the world. Special commendations by the Commanding General
of the Air Forces and members of the Air Staff were received
for work completed under his command.
Admiral Karo received special regcognition for his important
comprehensive treatise on World Mapping, completed
during his course of study at the Industrial College of the
Armed Force.
He was awarded the Philippines Legion of Honor, degree of
Officer, for eminently meritorious service in the Philippines
during two tours of duty there early in his career.
He was awarded the Gold Medal of the Society of American Military
Engineers for 1965 in recognition of a decade of exceptionally
meritorious service to the S.A.M.E. while Director of the
U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, as President of the Society
in 1957, and for his national and international leadership
in military engineering, science and technology.
He is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers,
and a member of the American Geophysical Union, the Cosmos
Club of Washington, the U.S. Naval Institute, American Society
of Photogrammetry, American Congress on Surveying and Mapping,
Society of American Military Engineers, Sigma Xi, Sigma Tau,
and the Explorer's Club. He is also a registered professional
engineer in the District of Columbia.
Admiral Karo resides at 6307 Kirby Road, Bethesda, Maryland,
with his wife and two children, Douglas Paul and Kathryn Rosalie.
His eldest son, Arnold M. Karo, received his Ph.D.in 1952
from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in physical chemistry.
Paper, 5/25/66
VICE ADMIRAL H. ARNOLD KARO
TO RETIRE FROM ESSA
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND
With the January 1967 retirement of Vice Admiral H. Arnold
Karo, former Director of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey
(1955 to 1965) and now Deputy Administrator of the Environmental
Science Services Administration (ESSA), the government will
lose the services of one of its most dedicated and able administrators.
He is one of the most widely known and respected, both nationally
and internationally, Government administrators and experts
in the fields of oceanography, cartography, and surveying
and mapping.
Admiral Karo has over 43 years of service, over half of which
has been spent at sea. Her has a reputation for never ordering
any of his men to do a job he would not do himself, and he
has traveled from Arctic Alaska to the South Pole, and around
the world from east to west, inspecting the operations of
the Coast and Geodetic Survey and in participating in international
oceanographic, cartographic, surveying and mapping, and other
scientific meetings. He has headed the United States Delegations
to many of these international meetings. He is known by all
foreign associates and students in these various disciplines
for his willingness and great interest in exchange of knowledge
and the passing on of the expertise of this country for the
advancement of all. His friendly and helpful attitude has
won for him a host of friends throughout the world.
He became the head of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey at
one of the critical points in its 150 year history. Almost
single-handedly he was able to lift the Survey out of its
lethargy, to give it a transfusion of new vitality and purpose,
and to reorient its goals to include basic and applied research
and development in the many earth science disciplines in which
it had always been re-eminent and to recapture much of that
pre-eminence.
The results of this effort speak for itself today in a viable
and dynamic research and development program which has produced
an increasing number of excellent research papers and reports
and such developments as the stable underwater platform (which
Woods Hole essentially copied later in their "sea spider,")
the geometric-optical system of satellite triangulation including
new methods of computation and adjustment, the first successful
extensive use of color aerial photography for mapping, the
refinement and extensive use of analytical aerial triangulation,
the first stereoscopic photography (in color) and micro-contouring
of sections of the sea floor, new seismic and geomagnetic
instruments, new hydrographic data acquisition and recording
systems, ocean current data acquisition systems--the list
could go on and on.
Perhaps one of the things he will be most remembered for is
his success in upgrading and replacing obsolete and deteriorated
capital equipment. Ten new geomagnetic and/or seismological
observatories and installations have been built for the C&GS
- three replacement and seven new. The worldwide standard
seismological network of 120 stations around the world has
been virtually completed by the Coast and Geodetic Survey;
and extensive research and instrumentation is underway in
the earthquake prediction program.
One of the biggest jobs he has so successfully engineered
is in the Survey's "New and Replacement Ship Construction
Program." After 150 years working without a home of its own
for its ships, the acquisition of modern ship base facilities
for its fleet of ships--a Pacific Marine Center at Seattle
and an Atlantic Marine Center at Norfolk.
He has been directly responsible for the planning and construction
of 13 new ships for the Coast Survey; four have been delivered,
four or five are expected to be delivered during the balance
of this calendar year, and all but one are to be delivered
during 1967. The final ship presently under construction contract
is scheduled to be delivered in 1968. There is hope that a
14th ship for special current surveys will be authorized this
year.
These ships range from the 176-ton RUDE to the 3,800-ton OCEANOGRAPHER,
the largest, most completely equipped and extensively automated
oceanographic research ship of the United States.
In a way, the OCEANOGRAPHER represents much of Admiral Karo's
ideas, ideals, and ambitions. Known during his sea-going days
as a frustrated oceanographer because he could not obtain
official sanction to devote more sea time and effort to greater
oceanographic pursuits and operations, his first action after
taking over the helm of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey
was to more extensively instrument oceanographically, the
Survey's fleet of ships and to establish research and development
as a recognized entity. He also instituted a program of advanced
oceanographic education for selected officers, sending many
officers full time to the universities for advanced oceanographic
courses of study.
Much as he takes pride in the overall accomplishments of the
Survey during the last 10 or 12 years, it is easy to see that
the OCEANOGRAPHER and its sister ship, the DISCOVERER, are
his real pride and job. Nor can we blame him. They represent
a dream and ambition that has come to full flower (nearly).
Karo's heart and soul are wrapped up in his ships. From conception
to delivery, his was the motivating force behind these ships.
Those of you who have seen the OCEANOGRAPHER agree that Admiral
Karo has every right to be proud. Additional quarters for
visiting scientists and for cooperating university professors
and students from universities not possessing ships of their
own, were provided in the OCEANOGRAPHER and DISCOVERER at
Karo's insistence. Cooperation with other agencies and with
the scientists of universities and private institutions has
always been his long suit. "I have yet to see a program that
cannot be reasonably adapted to meet the needs of those genuinely
interested in getting a good job of science accomplished,"
Karo has stated time and again, and the results of the various
missions prove his point. On scientific cruises, all bunks
are filled, even to the point of "hot sheets" in some instances.
This cooperation was extended to foreign scientists on the
"Tropical Atlantic" cruise of the EXPLORER and the "International
Indian Ocean Expedition" cruise of the PIONEER. Both were
eminently successful. Now with quarters expressly provided
for these cooperating scientists on the OCEANOGRAPHER and
DISCOVERER, and to be provided on all future ships constructed,
and the exceptionally large laboratory space on the oceanographic
research ships, this cooperation will be expanded.
The Federal Government could well do with more men of Admiral
Karo's vision, determination, and administrative ability.
PAPER,?
Date
/Place of Birth
December 24, 1903
Lyons, Nebraska
Legal
Residence
6307 Kirby Road
Bethesda, Maryland
Marital
Status
Married
Arnold M.
Douglas P.
Kathryn R.
Education
University of Nebraska, 1923, B.S. in Civil Engineering
Military
Service
Colonel, USAF 1942-45
Present
Position
Presidential appointee, Deputy Administrator, Environmental
Science Services Administration, Department of Commerce, effective
July 13, 1965, with pay and allowance of Vice Admiral.
Experience
Prior to Appointment to Present Position
From 1923 to 1950, served on and commanded some of the largest
ships of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, advancing from
the rank of Ensign to Captain. Service interrupted during
1942 to 1945 by transfer to the USAF. During this time, held
posts in the Directorate, Photography, Maps, Charts (1942),
and Commanding Officer, Air Force Aeronautical Chart Plant
(1943-45.) From 1951 to 1955, was Chief, Chart Division, C&GS.
From 1955 to 1965 served, by Presidential appointment, as
Director, U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, with rank of Rear
Admiral.
Honors and Professional Affiliations
Doctor of Science (Honorary,) Union College, Schenectady,
N.Y. Sigma Xi
Sigma Tau
Gold Medal (1965) Society of American Military Engineers
Fellow, American Society of Civil Engineers
American Geophysical Union
Cosmos Club of Washington, D.C.
U.S. Naval Institute
American Society o Photogrammetry
American Congress on Surveying and Mapping
Society of American Military Engineers
Explorer's Club
Registered Professional Engineer, D.C.
International Participation
Admiral Karo served for more than 3 years as Chairman of the
Committee on Cartography, National Research Council, National
Academy of Sciences, which advised the State Department in
matters concerning international cartography. He served as
Chairman of the United States delegation to the 2nd United
Nations Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia and the
Far East held in Tokyo in 1958, and also headed the U.S. delegation
to the 3rd United Nations Cartographic Conference held in
Bangkok in 1961. He represented the United States in the British
Commonwealth Survey Officers Conferences held in London, England
in July 1951, and in Cambridge, England in August 1959, and
July 1963. He participated, in September 1959, as a member
of the American Congress in Surveying and Mapping delegation
at the Cracow, Poland conference of the International Federation
of Surveyors. In February 1963, he served as the United States
representative for geodesy and mapping at the United Nations
Conference on the Application of Science and Technology for
the Benefit of the Less Developed Areas in Geneva, Switzerland.
In early July 1963, he served Chairman of the United States
delegation to the United Nations Regional Cartographic Conference
for Africa, held in Nairobi, Kenya. He was a member of the
U.S. delegation to the 4th U.N. Cartographic Conference for
Asia and the Far East held in Manila, Republic of the Philippines,
November to December 1964. He represented the Environment
Science Services Administration at the Governor's Conference
on Oceanography and Astronautics, held in Hawaii, September
1965.
He was a member of the United States delegation to the oceanographic
meeting held in Copenhagen in July 1960, where the foundation
was laid for the formation of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic
Commission (IOC) in UNESCO. He has been a member of the U.S.
delegation to meetings of the IOC and has played a significant
role in the development and advancement of our national and
international oceanographic programs.
PAPER, 5/25/66
Vice Admiral H. Arnold Karo, Deputy Administrator of ESSA
since the organization was formed nearly 18 months ago, is
retiring after a distinguished career spanning 43-1/2 years.
Admiral Karo is a native of Lyons, Nebraska. He joined the
commissioned corps of the Coast and Geodetic Survey immediately
following his graduation from the University of Nebraska in
1923. He served aboard 10 different ships for a total of 22
years, and commanded the LYDONIA, DERICKSON, and EXPLORER.
In February 1942, he was transferred to the War Department
by Executive Order and became the first Commanding Officer
of the USAAF Aeronautical Charting Plant in St. Louis, Missouri.
He returned to the Coast and Geodetic Survey in November 1954,
and served aboard several Seattle-based ships until November
1950. He was then transferred from command of the EXPLORER
to Washington as assistant chief, (and later chief) of the
Division of Charts. He attended the Industrial College of
the Armed Services in 1954-1955; in August 1955 received an
interim appointment as Director, Coast and Geodetic Survey.
He served in that post until becoming Deputy Administrator
of ESSA in July 1965.
Admiral Karo was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of
Science in 1958 by Union College. His may other honors and
awards include the Philippines Legion of Honor, degree of
Officer, and the Gold Medal of the Society of American Military
Engineers for 1965. He is a member of numerous scientific,
professional and honorary societies.
Admiral and Mrs. Karo and their daughter, Kathryn, were honored
at a retirement banquet attended by over 200 friends and associates
on December 8, 1966.
In a short speech he stated some of the personal principles
that he has followed during his career. They are worth repeating.
1. Love of country and steadfast devotion to duty and to the
public service.
2. Personal integrity--integrity and belief in one's self,
one's service, and one's country.
3. The search for excellence--the desire to excel, not for
personal glory, but to improve the quality of public service.
4. Courage to stand for principles and not to compromise under
pressure. By this I do not mean to the point of obstinacy
or contentiousness, although I suspect I have been accused
of that. But rather as Theodore Roosevelt once said "on the
Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount, uncompromising
rigidity; on all else the widest tolerance."
5. Never to order an assignment or duty for another you will
not undertake yourself.
6. Always be alert to new possibilities and for new and better
ways of doing things.
December 23,1903 - May 23, 1986
Vice Admiral Henry Arnold Karo, NOAA (Retired) was born December
24, 1903, in Lyons, Nebraska. He graduated from the University
of Nebraska in 1923 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil
Engineering. Following his graduation, he was appointed as
Deck Officer to the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (now the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and on February
4, 1924, was commissioned as Ensign.
During Admiral Karo's 43-year career his assignments included
22 years aboard the following ships: the SURVEYOR as Junior
Officer and later as Executive Officer; the FATHOMER as Second
Officer, and later as Executive Officer, and Commanding Officer;
the BACHE, the PIONEER, the GUIDE, the DISCOVERER, the WESTDAHL
as Commanding Officer; the LYDONIA as Commanding Officer;
the EXPLORER as Executive Officer and Commanding officer;
and the DERICKSON as Commanding Officer. His other assignments
included Chief of Party for Triangulation, Officer in Charge
for the Norfolk Processing Office, Assistant Chief and Chief
in the Division of Charts; and attending the Industrial College
of the Armed Forces. He served as Director of the U.S. Coast
and Geodetic Survey from August 13, 1955, until the formation
of the U.S. Environmental Science Services Administration;
at that time he was appointed as Deputy Administrator. He
served in that position until his retirement on January 1,
1967. After his retirement Admiral Karo served as Expedition
Director for ESSA's year-long Global Scientific Expedition
of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey's Ship OCEANOGRAPHER.
As a result of this expedition, a close-working association
among distinguished scientists from 17 nations continues today.
During World War II he was transferred to the U.S. Army Air
Force where he served as Commanding Officer for the Air Force
Aeronautical Chart Center in St. Louis, producing charts for
worldwide use during the war. He was awarded the World War
II Victory Medal, the American Campaign Medal and the Pacific
War Zone Ribbon.
Admiral Karo was awarded the Philippines Legion of Honor for
meritorious services to the Philippines in the 1920's and
1930's. He also received honorary Doctor of Science Degrees
from the University of Nebraska and from Union College.
He is survived by his wife, Elsie, two sons, Arnold M. and
Douglas P.; one daughter, Kathryn R., and two grandchildren.
THE
BUZZARD, 8/26/1955
THE BUZZARD, 8/24/1956
ACP BULLETIN, Vol. 1, No. 4, 9/2/1944
ESSA BULLETIN, Vol. 1, No. 6, 1/3/1967
NOAA CORPS BULLETIN, 6/1/1986
