Advancing Variable Star Astronomy Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- PART I PIONEERS IN VARIABLE STAR ASTRONOMY PRIOR TO 1909
- PART II THE FOUNDING OF THE AAVSO – THE WILLIAM TYLER OLCOTT ERA
- PART III RECORDING AND CLASSIFICATION – THE LEON CAMPBELL ERA
- 5 Leon Campbell to the rescue
- 6 Formalizing relationships
- 7 The Pickering Memorial Endowment
- 8 Fading of the Old Guard
- 9 Growing pains and distractions
- PART IV THE SERVICE BUREAU – THE MARGARET MAYALL ERA
- PART V ANALYSIS AND SCIENCE – THE JANET MATTEI ERA
- PART VI ACCELERATING OBSERVATIONAL SCIENCE – THE ARNE HENDEN ERA
- Appendix A AAVSO historiographic notes
- Appendix B Top AAVSO observer totals
- Appendix C Variable star observing groups represented in the AAVSO International Database
- Appendix D AAVSO Awards
- Appendix E Officers of the AAVSO
- Appendix F AAVSO Council members
- Appendix G AAVSO Scientific committee, section, division, and program chairs
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
5 - Leon Campbell to the rescue
from PART III - RECORDING AND CLASSIFICATION – THE LEON CAMPBELL ERA
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 June 2011
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- PART I PIONEERS IN VARIABLE STAR ASTRONOMY PRIOR TO 1909
- PART II THE FOUNDING OF THE AAVSO – THE WILLIAM TYLER OLCOTT ERA
- PART III RECORDING AND CLASSIFICATION – THE LEON CAMPBELL ERA
- 5 Leon Campbell to the rescue
- 6 Formalizing relationships
- 7 The Pickering Memorial Endowment
- 8 Fading of the Old Guard
- 9 Growing pains and distractions
- PART IV THE SERVICE BUREAU – THE MARGARET MAYALL ERA
- PART V ANALYSIS AND SCIENCE – THE JANET MATTEI ERA
- PART VI ACCELERATING OBSERVATIONAL SCIENCE – THE ARNE HENDEN ERA
- Appendix A AAVSO historiographic notes
- Appendix B Top AAVSO observer totals
- Appendix C Variable star observing groups represented in the AAVSO International Database
- Appendix D AAVSO Awards
- Appendix E Officers of the AAVSO
- Appendix F AAVSO Council members
- Appendix G AAVSO Scientific committee, section, division, and program chairs
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Late in 1909 along came Olcott (better known as William Tyler) … And what a find he proved to be! How well I recall that first trip to Norwich when I attempted to impart to him some of my own practical ideas on variable star observations with a small telescope.
– Leon Campbell, 1930, reflecting on the history of the AAVSO after 20 yearsWilliam Tyler Olcott founded and nurtured the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO), seeing its membership and observations grow in its first 6 years. But as the United States became involved in World War I, his appointment to the Norwich, Connecticut, Exemption Board created additional demands on his time and energies that compromised his weak health condition.
Other members of the Association recognized that it would no longer be possible to operate so informally in view of Olcott's physical condition. They began taking steps toward a more formal organization, a plan they accelerated as Olcott's need for help became ever clearer. In addition to the help he needed in restructuring the work of the Association in some more formal way, Olcott needed help handling the increasing numbers of observations from observers around the world and preparing monthly reports for publication in Popular Astronomy.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Advancing Variable Star AstronomyThe Centennial History of the American Association of Variable Star Observers, pp. 51 - 60Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2011