The Associated Press

COLUMBUS - Ohio State University will use a $5,000 federal grant to restore and copy two 16mm reels of film from Adm. Richard Byrd's expedition to Antarctica in 1939.

Medical officer Harrison Richardson filmed Byrd's 1939-41 expedition. Byrd led or participated in five expeditions to Antarctica, beginning in 1928.

Richardson's son, James Richardson, donated 18 reels of his father's film, both 35mm and 16mm, from Byrd's expeditions.

Polar archivist Laura Kissel said on Tuesday the two 16mm reels from the 1939 expedition were chosen for restoration because little material exists from that trek.

The two reels are only a tiny portion of the Byrd collection, but the quantity and cost for preserving all the film is daunting, Kissel said. "It's not feasible that we'll get it all done, ever. You can't save everything."

The National Film and Preservation Foundation, which awarded the grant, liked the Richardson films because they show an insider's perspective and were some of the first color footage of Antarctica, said Jeff Lambert, assistant director of the foundation.

Bob Wagner, an OSU professor emeritus and former chairman of the cinema and photography department, said the 16mm reels are the most interesting because Richardson carried his camera with him.