In the 1950s Anne Roe published The Making of a Scientist and The Psychology of Occupations, in which she examined the impact of environmental influences during childhood on the individual's later career success. These books provide a perspective for examining Roe's life and career. Her experiences in Denver during the first quarter of the twentieth century formed a young woman who was independent, adaptive, and had “a love of high places.” Although much of her career was spent in the East, Roe's career achievements are uniquely linked to the cities, mountains, and deserts of the American West.