| James Whittaker | |
|---|---|
 Jim Whittaker speaking at the Computer History Museum. |
|
| Born | 1929 Seattle, Washington |
| Education | West Seattle High School Seattle University |
| Occupation | Mountaineer |
James Whittaker, also known as Jim Whittaker (born in Seattle, Washington on February 10, 1929 [1]) was the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest. He summited on May 1, 1963 with three other people. They ran out of oxygen but managed to reach the summit. Once there, Whittaker planted a US flag at the top.[2] He is the twin brother of Lou Whittaker, a mountain guide who is often mistakenly credited with that achievement. Whittaker graduated from West Seattle High School and Seattle University. Whittaker was the first full-time employee of Recreational Equipment Inc. and he was the company's CEO in the 1960s. Now, Whittaker is chairman of the Board of Magellan Navigation, a company that produces handheld global positioning system (GPS) units. In 1965 he guided Robert Kennedy up the newly-named Mount Kennedy. He led the 1990 Everest Peace Climb that brought together climbers from the United States, USSR and China. In addition to putting more than a dozen climbers on the summit, the expedition hauled off a large amount of trash left on the mountain by previous expeditions. In 1999 Whitaker released his autobiography, A Life on the Edge: Memoirs of Everest and Beyond.
Awards and honors
- For being the first American to scale Mount Everest, Whittaker was awarded the Hubbard Medal by United States President John F. Kennedy.
| “ | If you aren't living on the edge, you are taking up too much space. | ” |
| “ | You never conquer a mountain. Mountains can't be conquered; you conquer yourself. | ” |
References
- ^ EverestHistory.com: Jim Whittaker
- ^ Shnayerson, Michael. "Jim Whittaker, Back on Earth", National Geographic Adventure Magazine, May 2003. Retrieved on 2007-05-07.
