Albert
E. Theberge (Skip) has worked for NOAA and its
predecessor agency since 1969 when he was commissioned an
Ensign in the then ESSA Corps. He stayed with the Corps through
its transition to NOAA Corps and retired in late 1995 as a
Captain with close to 27 years commissioned service.
During his career he served on the NOAA Ships SURVEYOR, WHITING,
PEIRCE, and MT. MITCHELL, the latter two as commanding officer.
He served as chief of geodetic field parties working throughout
most of the United States and a hydrographic field party working
on the west coast of Florida.
Skip has passed through 48 of the 50 states while working
for NOAA. Land assignments have included a stint at the National
Geophysical Data Center in Boulder, Colorado, where he headed
a joint NOAA-DOE geothermal mapping program in the late 1970's;
two years as liaison to the Marine Physical Laboratory of
the Scripps Institution of Oceanography observing and learning
about advanced seafloor mapping systems; three years heading
NOAA's Exclusive Economic Zone Mapping Program employing multi-beam
mapping systems and the early use of GPS for offshore surveying;
a short stint as Management Information System officer for
the Office of Marine Operations; and a number of years on
staff to the Director of NOAA Corps.
Following
retirement, he worked for two years under contract to the
NOAA Central Library and then rejoined the Feds as a civilian
Technical Information Specialist in the NOAA Central Library.
Skip considers himself quite fortunate to work in the NOAA
Central Library, one of the great science libraries of the
world. He is quite knowledgeable concerning NOAA History and
has provided much of the content for the NOAA
history site, as well as having written The
History of the Coast Survey 1807-1867. Besides providing
personal photographs to the NOAA Photo Library, he has also
been a primary developer of the site in partnership with Janet
Ward.
Skip
graduated from the Colorado School of Mines with a Professional
Degree in Geological Engineering and earned the Master of
Science Degree in Management from the Naval Postgraduate School.
He is married, lives in Maryland, and has three grown children.
His youngest son just graduated from high school and is continuing
the family NOAA and seafaring tradition as an ordinary seaman
on the NOAA Ship MCARTHUR.
