May 18, 1995 Contact: Barbara McKenna (408/459-2495)
RESPECTED ASTRONOMER DISCUSSES HIS EXPERIENCES AS FORMER DIRECTOR OF LICK OBSERVATORY IN NEWLY RELEASED ORAL HISTORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SANTA CRUZ, CA--Interviews with a distinguished astronomer and former director of Lick Observatory have been published by the Regional History Project of the University Library at the University of California, Santa Cruz. In the publication, titled A. E. Whitford: Directorship of Lick Observatory, 1958-1968, Albert Whitford discusses his experiences as director of the country's oldest mountaintop research observatory.
Whitford took on the directorship of the observatory during a time of momentous change. As director, he navigated the observatory through two significant events: the final installation of the 120- inch Shane Telescope and in 1966 after nearly 80 years as an independent operation, the incorporation of the observatory into the new UC Santa Cruz campus.
The oral history is the result of a series of interviews conducted by Randall Jarrell, documentary historian and head of the Regional History Project. It is being published as part of the project's Lick Observatory History series.
Now an astronomer emeritus of UCSC, Whitford was the first director ever selected by the observatory's astronomers. They viewed Whitford as the best person to push ahead the stalled completion of the 120-inch Shane Telescope. The project had met with cost overruns and numerous delays, many because of technical difficulties. A highly respected instrument specialist, Whitford explains in the history that, "My reputation as a person who could handle instruments, perfect them and get them to work, was something that [Lick astronomers] felt they needed." In 1959, just under a year after Whitford's directorship began, the Shane Telescope went into operation. For the next fifteen years the Shane remained the second-largest telescope in the world.
The advanced instrument was soon in high demand by astronomers in residence at the observatory as well as those at other campuses. Whitford recounts some of the complicated diplomacy and juggling of schedules the popular telescope necessitated.
An interesting element of the oral history is Whitford's insider's perspective on the observatory's changeover from an autonomous entity to that of an affiliate of the Santa Cruz campus. He shares his observations of the friction within the observatory staff and among the staff and outside astronomers and UCSC administrators holding conflicting views on the research mission of the observatory.
Other topics addressed in the history include Whitford's early experiences in astronomy and his background in astronomical research, his contributions to the development of photoelectric technology for observing stars and nebulae, and some history of twentieth-century astronomy. Whitford also shares his perspective on the effect on the observatory of administrative changes initiated by UC President Clark Kerr, who began his tenure at the same time as Whitford.
Whitford also recalls some personal aspects of his tenure, such as the experiences of his wife and family at Lick and the character of life in the isolated residential observatory on Mount Hamilton. In a characteristically frank reflection, Whitford also discusses his decision to resign from his post in 1968.
The volume includes an introduction, table of contents, index, and frontispiece photograph. Indexed photocopies can be purchased at cost for deposit (on a noncirculating basis) in research collections and libraries. A. E. Whitford: Directorship of Lick Observatory, 1958-1968, is currently available in Special Collections, McHenry Library, UCSC, and at The Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley. Further inquiries may be directed to the Regional History Project, Room 357, McHenry Library, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064; telephone, (408) 459-2847; e-mail, rjarrell@scilibx.ucsc.edu.
Press Releases Home | Search Press Releases | Press Release Archive | Services for Journalists
Maintained by:pioweb@cats.ucsc.edu