Karen Schwall

Karen Schwall, also known as Karen Schwall-Meyer, was the first female U.S. Army officer in Antarctica, and the first woman to manage McMurdo Station.

Biography Karen Schwall was from Crystal Lake, Illinois, and attended the University of Dubuque, where she graduated in 1983.

She joined the U.S. Army, serving at Fort Knox.

In 1988, Schwall served in Antarctica for three years with Naval Support Force Antarctica. She returned to manage the station in the over-winter period from February to August 1995, in which time she was promoted to major.

In 1999, Schwall Peak in Staten Island Heights was named in her honor.