Talk:Anne Barbara Underhill

Good job! I think that you did a nice job talking about her early life and education as well as her accomplishments in science!

01:32, 1 October 2016 (UTC)

I think it is interesting that your scientist is pretty recent in comparison to the others in this class. You did a good job with your research and thoroughly integrated it. I also think it is cool how you found some information from when she was in high school. I would be interested to know more about the research she conducted and her findings. (Belles18 (talk) 03:43, 1 October 2016 (UTC))

Cool information! I would love to learn more about her chemistry accomplishments, if there is more information on that. Chembelle17 (talk) 17:55, 5 October 2016 (UTC)

A little bit behind the scenes
My mother was a childhood friend of Anne’s, who visited us regularly when in Vancouver when we children were very young. Some memories I have:

-In 1961, Mom took me and my brother to visit what is now called the Centre of the Universe observatory in Victoria. I found the telescope so fascinating that I think it was the germination of my interest in astronomy, an interest I still have today.

-I remember, as a teenager in the early ‘70’s, upon having borrowed my mother’s car so I and some friends could go to a movie in downtown Vancouver, I realized we were being followed. Literally. My friends noticed it, too. After testing this bizarre theory out, and confirming it, when we got to the movie theatre, I phoned my mother to see if I should call the police. She said not to as it was the CIA (my brain went, “Pardon me! You’ve got to be kidding!”), which was doing background observation as part of a security clearance on Anne because she was hired by NASA for a major project. That project turned out to be Voyager I, according to Mom.

-It took me years to figure out why Anne presented herself so “butch”—-to make herself more acceptable in such a heavily male-dominated profession. Your explanation of her time at DOA supports that. She kept that look until her retirement, at which time she returned to British Columbia, let her hair grow, and wore skirts. 207.194.98.4 (talk) 03:45, 19 March 2024 (UTC)