Roy Chapman Andrews, one of the most celebrated explorers of the 20th century, was born in Beloit on January 26, 1884, and grew up across the river at 419 St. Lawrence Avenue, where childhood explorations of the Rock River Valley gave him a lifelong passion for the natural world. In March 1905, he survived a harrowing boating accident upriver that claimed the life of his companion. The following year he graduated from Beloit College and joined the staff of the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where his first job was sweeping floors and, decades later, his last was museum director. Between those roles, he explored the globe and gained his greatest fame through five scientific expeditions to the Gobi Desert of Mongolia and China from 1922 to 1930. Using camels and motor cars, his team discovered new species of dinosaurs, the first nests of dinosaur eggs, evidence of early mammals that coexisted with dinosaurs, and colossal Ice Age mammals. He also survived encounters with snakes, standoffs with bandits, accidental tumbles over cliffs, and many other escapades, which he credited a lucky star with helping him through. He wrote extensively about his exploits and discoveries, inspiring new generations to become explorers. He died in 1960 at age 76 and was buried in Beloit’s Oakwood Cemetery. Since 2003, contemporary explorers have coveted the prize and statue awarded in his name as the Roy Chapman Andrews Society Distinguished Explorer Award.