George Whitmore

George Whitmore was part of the most famous rock climb in history: the first ascent of El Capitan, rising more than 3,000 majestic feet above Yosemite Valley. Whitmore, Warren Harding and Wayne Merry reached its summit as the sun rose on Nov. 12, 1958. He became an influential conservationist who led the charge in protecting huge swaths of the Sierra Nevada.