ScienceMakers Toolkit Manual - The History Makers

Counter also had a very active career as a scientifi c explorer, holding a membership in the prestigious Explorers’
Club of New York. As a scientifi c explorer, Counter pursued his secondary academic interest, African
American ethnography. In the 1970s, Counter conducted ethnographic studies among the indigenous people of
Surinam (formerly Dutch Guiana) in South America. Counter’s research resulted in a series of major articles on
the little known rain forest descendants of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century African slaves, which appeared
in national and international periodicals, including: Newsweek, Time, The New York Times, and Smithsonian
magazine. In addition to his scholarly articles, Counter and colleague David Evans produced an award-winning
documentary on the culture and history of the rain forest African peoples entitled, “I Shall Moulder Before I
Shall Be Taken.”
In 1986, Counter traveled to the northernmost settlements in Greenland on a scientifi c mission, where he unexpectedly
discovered the eighty-year-old Inuit sons of the North Pole co-discoverers, Rear Admiral Robert
E. Peary and the African American Matthew Henson, who were fathered with Inuit women during their 1906
expedition. After bringing the existence of these men to international attention, Counter organized and raised
the funds to fi nance the journey of these sons, Anaukaq Henson and Kali Peary and twelve members of their
families to the United States in May 1987 to meet their American relatives. Counter sought and gained proper
recognition from the United States for Henson’s contributions to Arctic exploration and co-discovery of the
North Pole in 1909. Counter’s work led to Henson’s body being moved from his grave in the Bronx, New York,
to the Arlington National Cemetery, and the U.S. Navy commissioning a U.S.N.S. oceanographic explorer ship
named in Henson’s honor.
In 1993, Counter initiated research studies in the interior of Ecuador, South America, where he discovered
a unique group of African-descended people living high in the Andes; he later produced a documentary fi lm
on these descendants of eighteenth century slaves entitled, “Lost Africans in the Andes.” From 1993 to 2000,
Counter led medical teams into the Ecuadorian mountains to study health problems and provide medical services;
he also conducted research to reduce the severe lead and mercury poisoning found amongst the children
living in the ceramics glazing industry and gold mining areas of Ecuador.
Counter was the founding director of The Harvard Foundation, established by the president and deans of Harvard
University in 1980 to improve intercultural understanding, equality, and peace among students. In September
2004, Counter was appointed Consul General of Sweden in Boston and New England by a decree from
King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, and Jan Eliasson, Sweden’s Ambassador to the United Nations. In addition
to his professional activities, Counter presented in classrooms and on television programs to increase scientifi c
literacy among young people.
Discussion Questions
Personal:
1. What did you like best about listening to Dr. Counter?
2. Where was Dr. Counter born? Locate it on a map. How far away is this from where you live?
3. Dr. Counter talks about an opportunity that he had when he was ten years old. What was that
opportunity? Who challenged him to do it? Has anyone ever challenged you to do something that you
thought would be diffi cult? Have you ever tried something that you weren’t sure you could do? What
was it? What happened as a result? What does Dr. Counter say about his experience? How can that
relate to you? (See Clip #1)
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