Sir Edmund was known for his shyness -- so much so that he proposed to his prospective wife Louise Mary Rose through her mother in September 1953.
He devoted a great part of his life working for the uplift of the Sherpa
people he had met during his various expeditions.
During his two-year
stint as New Zealand's High Commissioner to India, he founded the
Himalayan Trust in 1964, which helped in setting up clinics, hospitals and
schools. It also helped in the construction of two airstrips.
Photograph: Dean Purcell/Getty Images
Also read: 'Hillary is right when he says there has to be proof that Mallory and Irvine reached the summit before him' 
Advertisement
