High Peaks (PDF)

Rarely is one allowed such an intimate glimpse into the "high peaks" of a life so extraordinary and exciting as that of C. V. Whitney.

Scion of a distinguished family of great wealth, "Sonny" Whitney early displayed the zest for life and the adventurous spirit which have led him into a varied array of achievements remarkable even for the Whitney clan. A pilot in World War I and an AAF officer in World War II who was involved in such events as Iwo Jima and El Alamein, Whitney later, as assistant secretary of the air force, played a crucial role in ending the Berlin blockade. A sportsman with an absorbing love of the outdoors, Whitney has been a member of the Yale crew, captain of an international championship polo team, a hunter of note, and a Thoroughbred breeder whose stable has been a leading money winner.

An interest in art inherited from his mother has led Whitney to help develop and support galleries and museums such as the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Wyoming; his involvement in the entertainment world gave him a significant part in the production of the motion picture "Gone with the Wind." His other activities range from work as a "mucker" in a mine to ventures in finance, founding of the first ocean aquarium, Marineland, and world travel with enough adventures to fill another book.

High Peaks is a set of selected memoirs which will appeal to all who seek joy and adventure in living.