Philanthropist, Photographer, Glaciologist, He received a Bachelor of Science degree in geology from Harvard in 1926. In the summer of 1929, Field first traveled to Russia, specifically Georgia in the Caucasus. He passed through areas such as Swanetia, on the southern slope of the Central Caucasus, where he took still pictures and "about 1200 feet" of 35mm film of the Swan people and the landscape during the twelve days he was there. His trip was prompted by a travel organization called Open Road, that "arranged trips to unusual and interesting places." Field was so enamored by the people that he arranged through the "head of the local political hierarchy" to return and finish taking pictures and film. Upon his return, Field tried to get his film produced commercially to no avail and instead used his footage and still pictures during lectures he gave about the region for several years after. Field also traveled to Russia, specifically Moscow, in the early to mid-1930s. He filmed the daily life of Muscovites, from street scenes to sporting events. He also took footage of historic Moscow architecture, such as St. Basil's Cathedral, the Novodevichy Convent, and other landmarks in the Red Square. From these trips, he produced educational and travel motion pictures from the 1920s through the 1950s, focusing on geographical studies. In 1929, he married Alice Withrow. After graduation, Field began a long career in glaciology, making numerous expeditions to places like Alaska, and was widely recognized as the "Father of Glaciology". Field began working as a research associate for the American Geographical Society (AGS) in 1940. He later became the head of the Department of Exploration and Field Research for the AGS in 1946 and continued in this capacity until 1969. Field initiated the Juneau Icefield Research Project in 1948, which the AGS continued to sponsor for the next ten years. For the International Geophysical Year (1957-1958), Field founded and directed World Data Center-A for glaciology at the AGS. Field also wrote numerous books and articles on the subject of glaciology and was honored with several awards, including the Charles P. Daly medal by the AGS in 1969. He became a council member of the AGS and served in that capacity for many years. Field died in 1994.