Born in Georgia on the 15th of May, 1940, Professor Maria Uca-Marinescu is now the foremost Roumanian female explorer of all time having become famous as the first woman of any nation to walk Africa from top to bottom alone and without help and the first Roumanian to walk to both North and South Poles.

She is in 2003 the President of the Olympic Commisson for sport & medicine and is also on the Roumanian Olympic committee.

In December 2001 she was part of the International  "Ski the Last Degree" Expedition which arrived by ski at the South Pole. The expedition team of 2 guides and 5 individuals had earlier flown by Adventure Network International aircraft to a location 60 miles north of the South Pole from where they skied the last 60 miles to the Pole arriving on Christmas Day 2001.

The above photo shows the expedition members approaching the South Pole alongside several South Pole people who went out to greet the expedition.

The above photo shows the members arriving at the actual Geographic South Pole which is indicated by the small metal marker in the snow alongside the American Flag.

LAST DEGREE1     2001 (December 25th) South Pole autographed Postcard.   Price US$8

Note: the above postcard was posted with payment indicated by the American South Pole APO meter. The expedition cachet at lower left was a personal one produced by Maria Uca-Marinescu who has also signed the postcard in the center.

LAST DEGREE2     2001 (December 25th) South Pole autographed Postcard.   Price US$8

Note: This postcard differs in that postage has been paid with an American postage stamp. Maria has also changed her autograph to now read "Friendly Maria".

After arriving at the South Pole, the "Ski The Last Degree Expedition" set up a temporary tent camp (shown above) while they joined in Christmas festivities with the Americans at the South Pole including witnessing the annual race around the world. After a few days the expedition was picked up by an Adventure Network aircraft and flown to Patriot Hills before flying back eventually to Punta Arenas in South America.