No. 685 Ted Major

Transcript (75 pages) of interviews by Anne Peterson with ecologist Ted Major of Victor, Idaho, on 2 and 3 July 2012. Part of the Utah Environmental Oral History Project, Everett Cooley Collection tape no. U-3156Ted Major (b. 1920), born in Salt Lake City, remembers his long life, with an emphasis on skiing, his Teton Science School, and ecology. Born to a Mormon pioneer family with roots in Denmark, Major grew up skiing, particularly at Alta. A graduate of East High School in Salt Lake City, he was friends with Ginny Huidekoper, who had such a large impact on Jackson Hole skiing and belonged to Mr. Major´s Little Kandahar ski team. As early as 1934 he visited the Tetons to ski. Following his service as an officer in the U.S. Army´s 10th Mountain Division during World War II, he ranched in Wyoming, Idaho and Utah with his wife, whom he met in 1938. The Majors even built a ski lift at the White Pine ski resort near Pinedale, Wyoming. After receiving a master´s degree in science teaching from the University of Utah, Mr. Major taught school in Alaska for two years during the Rampart Dam controversy, and then, in 1967, founded the Teton Science School. With Terry Tempest Williams, he co-authored The Secret Language of Snow. His interview recalls the TSS in great detail, and focuses as well on early skiing. Mr. Major knew many of the early Rocky Mountain skiing greats such as Alf Engen. He also describes early ski equipment. A substantial portion of the interview addresses Mr. Major´s brother Jack, an ecologist at the University of California-Davis and his strong ally in the TSS. Mr. Major´s interview is informed by his strong environmental sensibility but contains substantial information on his personal and family life, including his family´s struggle with cystic fibrosis. Project: Utah Environmental Oral History Project. Interviewer: Anne Peterso