by Carl J. Wenning, TCAA Historian

Third Edition

Thirty-five years ago the Twin City Amateur Astronomers first came into being. The impetus for the new club was provided by John and Bertha Kieviet who had completed their move to the Bloomington/Normal community in 1957. Both John and Bertha had been very active in an astronomy club in Galesburg, Illinois, before John's work as an architect drew him to the Twin Cities. Upon arriving in their new community, the Kieviets discovered, much to their chagrin, that no astronomy club existed in the Twin Cities. By 1960 this seemed quite unusual in light of the fact that so many things had happened in space in the past few years: Sputnik; Leika, the space dog; Explorer; Vanguard; the selection of the Mercury astronauts; the Luna 2 hard landing; and the first pictures of the Moon's far side taken by Luna 3. The Kieviets resolved to remedy the situation promptly.

John and Bertha began by contacting Mr. George Sperry, recreation director from the Normal Parks and Recreation Department. It was their hope to establish an astronomy club under the sponsorship of the town of Normal. A meeting was set up with Mr. Sperry to discuss the proposed club. Mr. Sperry visited the home of John and Bertha on January 23, 1960, to discuss details. On January 30 plans were made for an organizational meeting of the club. Announcements were made in the local papers calling for "amateur moon watchers and star gazers" to assemble in the Normal swimming pool bathhouse "to meet fellow novice astronomers." According to Mr. Sperry, "any person of junior high school age and over interested in astronomy" was invited to attend the meeting. The meeting was set for Thursday, February 4, 1960, at 7:30 p.m.

At this organizational meeting Mr. Sperry introduced Mr. Kieviet as the person best qualified to guide the new club through its formative period. Mr. Kieviet then explained what he saw as club goals. The main themes would be observing and the sharing of observations with each other and the general public. The club would be a social, never a money making, organization. Dues would cover what small expenses the club would have. By way of Mr. Sperry, the town of Normal offered support for a club newsletter, that is if such a newsletter was to be established. Sky and Telescope magazine was adopted as a benefit of membership.

John Kieviet was elected temporary chairman of the club, since the election of officers was pending. Mrs. Eileen Jetton and Mr. Lee Brooks were appointed to serve as a nominating committee, and Mrs. Judy Walker and Mr. Robert Courtney were appointed to a constitution committee. In other business, the 20 amateurs present at that meeting agreed to meet on the first and third Thursdays of the month at 7:30 p.m. At this first meeting, the membership agreed to meet two weeks later to elect officers and adopt formal articles.

February 18, 1960, was the date of the first regular meeting of the club. John Kieviet was elected as the club's first president; Hank Janecek, vice-president; Judy Walker, recording secretary; Eileen Jetton corresponding secretary and treasurer; and Robert Courtney, librarian. The name "Twin City Amateur Astronomers" was suggested by one Norma Fese. Norma attended the first few meetings of the newly founded organization but never officially joined.

During the first year of the club's existence, it proved to be very active. An attempt at monthly public viewing sessions was made. On the night of March 12-13, club members viewed a lunar eclipse with the general public at Fairview Park. This was followed by an August 1 observing session featuring Jupiter and Saturn. Seven telescopes were used to exhibit the wonders of the solar system to some 200 attendees. Later that month Perseid Meteors were observed. On September 5 a lunar eclipse and the Aurora Borealis were observed simultaneously. On September 20 club members viewed a partial solar eclipse, and three days later the public was treated to another peak at Jupiter, Saturn and, this time, a crescent moon. October 8 marked the date for the first club trip to the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. On November 7 members observed the transit of Mercury across the face of the Sun. On December 1 two films describing the Moon and "featuring sound" were presented to club members and visitors.

Besides observing sessions at Fairview Park in Normal and Oakland School in Bloomington, John Kieviet encouraged TCAAers to prepare "Vital Statistics" (Julian date, moon phase, age, sidereal time, location of planets, sunset, end of twilight, and other current information) for every meeting. These "Vital Statistics" became a part of regular club activities for years to come.

During the winter the Fairview Park bathhouse was converted into a recreation hall since it was not used by bathers. During the summer the bathhouse was not available and so club members met in Normal's "city hall," Fairview Sanitarium, Citizens Savings and Loan, Victory Hall, ISU's Felmley Hall of Science, and IWU's Sherff Hall of Science.

The astronomy club had an excellent beginning under the auspices of Bertha and John Kieviet; the club certainly agreed, for at the end of 1960 the club membership presented John with a plaque noting him as founder and first president and Bertha received a corsage in recognition of her interest in and support of the TCAA. The first anniversary of the club was celebrated at the Normal Swimming Pool cabana with a large photograph appearing in the Pantagraph newspaper the next day. In this first year the Pantagraph carried no less than 15 articles chronicling the activities of the newly formed club. Thanks to a young member by the name of David Williams, the next five years of TCAA activity was chronicled quite carefully in a newsletter.

Beginning in August of 1961 David Williams prepared a monthly astronomy club tabloid of one or two pages. The purpose of this newsletter was, among other things, to document the activities of the club's members. Each newsletter included information about meeting dates, astronomical events, observing ideas, and other club news. After several suggestions by club members that the newsletter be named, a contest was held to do so. Dave Williams' own suggestion, the Observer of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers, won. The newsletter first carried the name on the June 1962 edition.

The Observer described a small but very active club. Members were involved in meteor observing, observation of variable stars, and occultations of Jupiter's moons. On four evenings in December of 1961, members Henry Janecek and Bill Blunk observed and charted 111 members of the Geminid meteor shower. Delta Cephei was observed and 31 magnitude estimates made by David Williams, Henry Janecek, and Weldon Schuette from October 1961 to January 1962. Half a dozen members, including John Kieviet, completed their homemade telescopes before the first two years of the club came to pass. Weldon Schuette observed the Echo satellite over 400 times. Public observing sessions were held. Attendance for trips to the Adler Planetarium in Chicago exceeded 20 several times as well. By April 1962 the club membership had stabilized at approximately 30 members, with generally ten persons attending

club functions.

By the second year fully one-half of the TCAA membership was composed of junior high school aged members. These members would be partitioned off in October 1963, under the leadership of Mr. Janecek, into a separate group that could more easily cater to the wants and needs of the younger set. Tim McCarthy was elected president; Paul McClure, vice-president; Mike Fisher, secretary/treasurer; and Henry Charneskey, librarian.

Of particular note among the junior members were four very active high school boys by the names of David Williams, Mike Ryder, Taylor Cisco, and John Bryan. These individuals, all high school students, were extremely active amateur telescope makers and observers. Many of the club's early activities were inspired by these individuals. They frequently traveled to the Peoria Academy of Sciences' Northmoore Observatory for all-night observing sessions, observing primarily lunar and planetary objects.

The TCAA's early involvement with the town of Normal nearly paid off by way of a public observatory on city property. Members had reason to believe that the city would completely fund such an observatory, and approached the city council for approval. Upon the recommendation of Normal Parks and Recreation Director Mr. Jerry MacDonald, the club undertook a program of selling hot chocolate to ice skaters at Fairview Park as a money making project to assist with the effort. During the subsequent two months of December 1961 and January 1962 the ladies of the club, headed by Bertha Kieviet, generated $55.00 for the project. Upon a further examination of the costs involved, the proposal was rejected by the city fathers as too expensive.

With the passing of the years, the TCAA members kept up their chosen mandate of being an entity dedicated to public service. Numerous star parties were held for Scouts and also for the general public. Membership swelled to an all time high in 1963 with 53 persons comprising the club, and many of these members undertook observing projects on their own. On July 20, 1963, a solar eclipse observing session at the home of Henry Janecek was attended by some 15 club members. Robert Courtney went to the state of Maine to observe the eclipse, while Dan Hovis (a traveling salesman from Belvidere, Illinois who happened to be in the Twin Cities every Thursday evening for club activities) went to Canada. Weldon Schuette also attempted traveling to Canada but was prevented from doing so by car trouble. He observed the eclipse from Indiana.

Observing the sky was an obsession for some, especially with the younger members. On the night of July 29, 1963, Lyle Rich and three other club members observed the Delta Aquarid meteor shower. Lyle observed and recorded 106 meteors alone. The observations formed the basis of a short article that appeared in the September 1963 issue of Sky & Telescope magazine. Beyond meteor observations, numerous magnitude estimates continued as part of an ongoing observing program. Beta Lyrae was the subject of 66 observations completed by David Williams, Mike Ryder, Henry Janecek, Warren Light, Bill Blunk, and Lyle Rich. The observations and the club's observing project were the subject of an article prepared for Review of Popular Astronomy in the July 1964 issue. Observations were also made of comets Alcock, Humason, Ikeya-Seki, and Nova Herculis.

There were numerous opportunities to observe the heavens. Besides the observatory equipment in Peoria, club members obtained access to Illinois Wesleyan University's Behr Observatory (on the current site of the Mark Evans Observatory). After a professor at IWU by the name of Paul F. Brace departed in 1961, astronomy classes at that institution were discontinued. As a result, the Behr Observatory, which contained a 6.25-inch refractor, fell into disuse for several years.

With the arrival of a new instructor of astronomy, Ray Wilson, in October 1963, things began to change. Under the auspices of Mr. Wilson, Barry Beaman and David Williams refurbished the aging equipment. These efforts were rewarded by a chance to observe a lunar eclipse from the observatory shortly thereafter.

The club had an observatory of its own by the summer of 1964. With Bob Mayo as "prime mover," the observatory was built on the Fissel farm just north of Normal. Fred Fissel, a friend of Bob's, allowed for a large plot of land on the condition that the club maintain it and the surrounding area. This the membership agreed to do. Using scrap wood from an abandoned barn, club members worked from late 1963 through the summer of 1964. The roll-off-roof observatory housed an 8-inch home-built reflecting telescope put on loan by Mr. Mayo. The observatory was officially opened on the evening of June 12, 1964, and was preceded by a picnic that has become an annual tradition.

Events relating to astronomy happened quickly. In October of 1963 the eminent astronomer Harlow Shapley lectured to the TCAA. Dr. Shapley, of Harvard College Observatory, spoke about "astronomy and astronomers" and focused attention on the international nature of astronomy. In January 1964 several members convened at Fairview Park after midnight to observe a lunar eclipse. In February of the same year the Peoria Planetarium opened with a 33-foot dome and Goto G-1 star projector. Club members were to visit the facility the same month.

Regular public observing sessions became a reality during the summer of 1964. Several hundred persons attended these functions but, to the disappointment of the club, only two members were gained by the numerous and widely publicized events. Several articles had featured the astronomy club and its activities, but the club failed to grow substantially. The membership had grown explosively during its earliest days, but now that rate of growth had begun to wane. Many other things kept the spirits of the membership high, however. One such thing was the opening of the Illinois State University Physics Department Planetarium with the beginning of the 1964 autumn semester.

The new wing of Felmley Hall of Science had just been completed and IWU's Ray Wilson was asked to help set up the operation of the new planetarium. During September of 1964 Ray gave several astronomy club members a peek at the new facility, and he was subsequently asked to "give a show" to the rest of the astronomy club members. This he did on October 1, 1964. Ray explained the workings of the Spitz A-3 projector and allowed the membership the time to do a bit of constellation study as well. Thus began the long and cordial relationship between the ISU Planetarium and the TCAA that has continued down to this day under the guidance of various ISU Physics faculty members (1964-71), and planetarium directors Nerio Calgaro (1971-74), Pat McGee (1974-78), and Carl Wenning (1978-present).

With June 1965 the detailed record of the TCAA comes to an end. David Williams, the editor of the club's earliest newsletter, left town to continue his education. The newsletter, the Observer of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers, was no more. The last item of importance noted in the final newsletter was the fact the David had introduced a program of regular Messier observing and had kicked off the project with a lecture about Messier himself. With the loss of the newsletter there was no widely distributed documentation of the club's activity. What was recorded appeared only in the minutes and newspaper articles. Unfortunately, some of the earliest secretary's minutes disappeared and later minutes were misplaced in 1981. The history that remains of the club's middle years comes only from a few newspaper clippings and the memories of some of the TCAA's members.

As the years went by, the membership continued to share its interest of the nighttime sky with the general public. Beginning in April 1966, and continuing for a year thereafter, several members prepared a weekly newspaper column for the Sunday Pantagraph. The column, "Central Illinois Skies," dealt mainly with aspects of observational astronomy. Reverend Lloyde Strouse was the principal writer of the column, with several members of the club contributing articles from time to time. The other writers were Henry Janecek, David Williams, Bill Johnson, and Weldon Schuette. Reverend Strouse taught an adult education class relating to astronomy at this time. In addition, Reverend Strouse built a mechanical computer to chart the locations of bright stars and planets. He called the device the "Horizograph." During July 1967 several club members participated in a hobby show held on the sidewalks of downtown Normal. The display consisted of several telescopes set up in front of the North Street Pharmacy.

Club members continued to find themselves involved in observatories or one sort or another. The Fissel farm observatory was used periodically, but its location on the outskirts of town made it less than perfectly suitable as a regular observing site. Club members continued to reach out in other directions for observing opportunities. Ray Wilson and Barry Beaman worked long and hard on an 18-inch reflecting telescope for the IWU Behr Observatory. The 18-inch mirror came from an instrument donated to Illinois Wesleyan in 1895--one year after the Behr Observatory was constructed with funds donated by a wealthy Chicagoan. Reconstruction and installation of the telescope were completed by the autumn of 1966. The telescope fit snugly into the 22-foot diameter dome of the observatory, but it provided Barry, an IWU undergraduate, ample observing opportunities.

In 1968 Behr Observatory was deemed too small to contain the observing program and astronomy classes that the Wesleyan faculty wished to offer. A decision was made to remove the aging facility and to replace it with a larger structure to accommodate the growing astronomy program. $90,000.00 was received to construct the current Mark Evans Observatory on the same site as the old observatory. Behr Observatory would either have to be razed or moved. Once again the town of Normal became involved in efforts to erect a club observatory within the confines of a city park.

Henry (Hank) Janecek, then President of the TCAA, told the town council that the TCAA had made arrangements to obtain the Behr Observatory structure from IWU. According to a newspaper account, the town council instructed administrator Gordan Jaeger and Recreation Director Dave Anderson to look into the costs involved in moving the structure and getting it set up. The TCAA was assured by the council that it would provide the land and a concrete foundation to ready the observatory for public use in Fairview Park. It was agreed that club members would supply telescopic instruments, and that Wesleyan University would keep its equipment. Investigation of the costs involved revealed that the project would be more expensive than at first anticipated. The project fell through and the Behr Observatory was reduced to rubble.

Club meetings continued as usual during the first decade and served as a focus of most activity for quite some time. With the turn of the decade many things besides astronomy began to attract the attention of club members, and the twice-monthly meetings were reduced to only one. The last twice-monthly meetings were held in September 1970. Thereafter, and up to the present day, the club members would meet only once monthly.

Eclipses continued to hold a certain fascination for the general public and astronomy club members alike. Weldon Schuette journeyed to Florida in March 1970 and to the Gaspe Peninsula of Canada in July 1972 to see total solar eclipses. Both times he was clouded out. Weldon also continued to contribute articles and diagrams to local newspapers highlighting important astronomical events.

Though the historical record is incomplete through 1974 due to the loss of important books (and without the second series of newsletters appearing until 1975), the flow of club history becomes clearer with the appearance of several critical newspaper articles in 1973 and afterwards. The one item chronicled so well was the arrival of a club member by the name of Robert Finnigan. His appearance coincided with the apparition of the famed Comet Kohoutek. A full page of the December 1, 1973, Pantagraph was dedicated to these two luminaries. Comet Kohoutek was described aptly by Dr. William Kubinec, an Illinois Wesleyan faculty member and member of the TCAA from 1973 through 1975. Bob was described as an atypical amateur astronomer in the Pantagraph account.

Bob, it was noted, had just purchased a Celestron 14-inch telescope for $5,000 in March of 1973. He had it positioned on the top of his garage at 1305 E. Oakland Avenue in Bloomington. There he had constructed a six-foot diameter dome resulting in the non-use of the garage. The reason--it had a concrete pier running up through its center. That Bob was very dedicated to the pursuit of amateur astronomy was also evidenced by the fact that he was the first to obtain a picture of Comet Kohoutek in the Twin Cities. The photo was taken in the early morning hours of November 30, and was a culmination of over a hundred hours of practice according to the newspaper account.

By June of 1975 Bob had moved out of the Bloomington/Normal glow of eternal twilight, and into the darker skies of Downs, Illinois. Within a short time he bought a $3,500 10-foot diameter Ash Dome and constructed a small observatory (named the Marie Antoinette Observatory after his wife) with the help of some ten club members, notably Bill Zaffiri, a carpenter by profession. The observatory was completed during the summer of 1977. Within a month of establishing a new observing site just north of Downs, Bob was back at work photographing comets. Several of his photographs and a short article about Comet Kubayashi-Berger-Milon appeared in the Pantagraph on July 28, 1975. A large picture of Comet West also appeared in that paper on March 8, 1976. Another article describing Bob's activities and the club appeared on September 11, 1977. The article detailed how the TCAA membership and the public were most welcome to observe through the observatory's equipment.

Under the influence of this new member and another by the name of Gary Rosenbaum, the TCAA began to observe more regularly and grow substantially. Many of the earlier observing programs of the club had fallen to the wayside as "space events" became more mundane, and the club membership began to drop heading for an all time low. By the mid 70's membership had dropped off to a number less than twenty.

Gary regularly publicized the TCAA with a brochure that he handed out at the restaurant he managed and membership grew by 13 during the year that he served as president. With access to new, more powerful equipment, the club reinstituted the Messier observing program in July 1975 that first was established by David Williams many years before. In March 1976 the TCAA joined the Astronomical League, one of whose benefits was a formal Messier observing program with a certification and awards process. Under the Astronomical League program Bob Finnigan, Weldon Schuette, Gary Rosenbaum, and Tim Stone earned awards for observing 70 or more M-objects. Tim received the top honors on July 17, 1979, for having observed a total of 110 M-objects.

With the Finnigan equipment so readily accessible to club members, a suggestion was made at the July 1976 meeting to abandon the Fissel farm observatory. In August talk of abandoning the Fissel site was tabled and a consensus reached to refurbish the observatory building. Actual work was put off due to the approaching cold weather. The site was all but abandoned, however, because of events and programs being carried out elsewhere in and about the Twin Cities.

In May 1977 the decision to refurbish the Fissel farm observatory was rescinded. During the 60's and 70's the town of Normal had grown tremendously, as did the amount of light pollution. TCAA members realized this fact and knew what it meant in relation to the club observatory that was located so close to town.

The following July the membership voted to remove the observatory because of "lack of interest and other better sites available that are farther from the city and highway lights." The observatory structure was torn down on July 24, 1977, and perhaps to the relief of Weldon Schuette. Weldon had kept up the grounds surrounding the observatory almost single handedly for many years. He did this in accord with the terms of the site agreement.

The Observer of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers, which reappeared in March 1975 under the editorship of Weldon Schuette, chronicled observations of Skylab, Pageos, and Apollo-Soyuz satellites--all observations that could be made without optical aid. observing sessions were held at Oakland School and at other sites. Club meetings, held every third Thursday of the month, featured constellation and planet study, films, guest speakers, and trips to the planetarium. Club members were kept relatively busy at the expense of the Fissel farm observatory, and perhaps with good reason.

With a new year, 1978, the club's direction changed substantially. Under the leadership of Gary Skinner, Mike Miller, and newly hired planetarium director Carl Wenning, the club decided to institute public awareness displays at local shopping centers. In addition, Carl and Bob Finnigan shared their interest with the general public in November 1978 with five hours of radio talk show programming over WRBA radio. A month later Carl obtained six lunar samples from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for public display. The club had reached a turning point. Public service, awareness, and education became the by-words of the TCAA. A new era of club activity was dawning.

The year 1979 started off with a real media event. There was a 78% partial eclipse of the Sun on February 26. Club members assembled on the quadrangle of Illinois State University and instructed several hundred college students, faculty and staff members, and school children how to safely observe the eclipse. Numerous telescopes were set up among the mounds of snow under a crystalline blue sky. At eclipse maximum over 300 persons were present. Several club members even saw the planet Venus without optical aid just west of the Sun. The

next day a full-page display of the club's observing activities appeared in the Vidette student newspaper.

Encouraged by the Astronomical League, the TCAA presented the first of several "Astronomy Day" displays at Eastland Shopping Center on April 7, 1979. Nine telescopes (including a 4-inch Alvin Clark refractor brought from Columbus, Ohio, by Doug Wereb) were on display. Bill Zaffiri demonstrated telescope mirror making. Mike Miller put up a display of space stamps and space mission insignia. Carl Wenning was also present with the six lunar samples in his possession. The entire event generated a large amount of public interest.

Upon the suggestion of park naturalist Nancy Morgan, the TCAA began to present lectures and observing sessions for the campers and visitors at Moraine View State Park. Sixty persons were present for a constellation mythology talk and M-object observing program held on July 20.

Bob Finnigan was very influential in turning the interest of club members to anthropology. Bob had visited the Mayan and Aztec ruins in Mexico earlier and his interest turned to cultural anthropology. Under the guidance of Gary Skinner (who had earned a Bachelor's degree in anthropology) TCAAers visited Dickson Mounds in October. Under the leadership of Bob Finnigan and Weldon Schuette, club members made group visits to survey the Cahokia "Woodhenge" near St. Louis in November and December 1979, as well as in July and October of 1980.

The club membership was very happy to confer upon John and Bertha Kieviet the first Lifelong Honorary Memberships at the February meeting in 1980. This award was presented after 20 years of dedicated service to the club. A plaque conferring the honor was presented by Carl Wenning on behalf of the TCAA. This was the last tribute paid by the club to co-founder John Kieviet. He would die in October 1981 from a stroke. His presence has been sorely missed.

Moraine View Park programs and field trips would continue throughout 1980. In July of that year six club members, friends, and family members would take the longest group trip ever. Eugene Sutton, Gary Skinner, Bob and Sophie Finnigan, Bruce Jiles, and Carl Wenning traveled to the Perkins Observatory at Delaware, Ohio, to observe through the 32-inch reflecting telescope located there. In addition, members visited the Ohio State University Astronomy Department and the OSU Radio Survey Telescope located just north of Columbus, Ohio. Club members also took the time out to visit Serpent Mound, Seip Mound, and the Mound City Necropolis in southern Ohio.

So much of what happened within the TCAA over the years can be characterized by what went on at the meetings and in its observing programs. Members met regularly at Mark Evans Observatory upon the invitation of Ray Wilson, and at the ISU Planetarium with the assistance of Carl Wenning. Diverse topic matter was covered in talks presented by club member and gust lecturers. Observations were made of comets, meteors, planets, deep space objects, satellites, and atmospheric, lunar, and solar phenomena. Field trips were taken to the Peoria Astronomical Society observatory at Jubilee State Park, to Adler Planetarium in Chicago, and to Yerkes Observatory at Williams Bay, Wisconsin.

During these years public service had been at the forefront of all its activities. Astronomy Day displays number two, three, and four were held in April 1979 at Eastland Shopping Center, and in May 1981 and July 1983 at the new College Hills Shopping Center. A public lunar eclipse observing session at Normal's Maxwell Park on the night of July 5-6, 1982, was attended by about 100 persons over a span of about two hours. This particular eclipse netted a new member by the name of Sharon MacDonald. Little did Sharon realize at the time that less than two years later she would the president of the TCAA and be videotaped by TV-10 describing a partial solar eclipse that occurred on May 30, 1984.

Television and radio appearance by club members became more common over the years as the club's reputation spread far and wide. The TCAA and its activities were the subject of an hour-long radio interview conducted with Gary Skinner and Carl Wenning over WRBA radio on May 23, 1983. During that month Gary was interviewed by two television stations: WBLN and TV-10. The subject of the interviews was a naked-eye comet first discovered by the IRAS satellite. Comet IRAS-Aracki-Alcock became an easily noticeable object passing within on 3 million miles of Earth. It passes through the stars of the Big Dipper. The comet was an obvious media event and the TCAA held observing sessions for the general public at Comlara Park.

The membership of the TCAA was disappointed by the loss of Bob Finnigan who left the club in 1982. Beginning in 1983, the membership attempted to recover from the loss by making an ambitious proposal for a public observatory in a county park to the McLean Count Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. On April 14 Gary Skinner and Carl Wenning delivered a formal proposal to the Board for a Comlara Park observatory after consulting with park personnel. The Board and park director reacted very favorably to the proposal. It was decided that the TCAA would begin regularly scheduled interpretive programs during the summer of 1983 to determine the suitability of the site, and to see if a good working relationship could be established between the TCAAers and the park officials.

With the assistance of Comlara Park naturalist Theresa English the club sponsored 13 weekly programs. These programs dealt with Indian Sky Lore, Deep Sky Observing, the planets and moon. The programs were well received by the public and were attended by roughly 500 park visitors over the summer. Additional summertime programs were presented during 1984 with similar results.

During the Astronomy Day program of 1983 the club took the lead of two new TCAAers, James and Susan Baker, to carry out a formal raffle. Club member donated some $800 worth of prizes for the event. By the time the raffle was over, the club netted $1,230 for the proposed observatory. In June of 1984 the TCAA became involved in "Comlara Fest" selling soft drinks, ice cream, and peanuts, netting another $50 for the project.

The club membership, never satisfied to be involved in only one project, worked on other important interpretive programs in addition to those mentioned already. During the summer of 1983 Jeff Rhodes and James Baker conducted two programs in Bloomington's Miller Park. Jeff concentrated on lunar observing, and Jim orchestrated a public education course. Jeff sponsored two additional observing programs in the summer of 1984 as well. During February and November of 1984 Sharon MacDonald taught two adult education classes for the TCAA through the Bloomington High School Adult Education program. This course was a series of three classes, one each dedicated to constellations, planets, and telescopes.

Five club member gave presentations to planetarium visitors after regular programs on behalf of the TCAA. The individuals, Carolyn Wenning, Weldon Schuette, Mike Poss, Mark Castleman, and James Baker, have represented the club to the general public and described what it does and can do.

During the Annual Meeting of February 1984 the TCAA conferred upon Weldon Schuette Lifelong Honorary Membership. This was only the third such membership to conferred by the club. Cited among his numerous accomplishments was work with amateur astronomers of the TCAA, his numerous lectures, writings, projects, and drawings for the club observatories, and his observing accomplishments. He, like John and Bertha Kieviet before him, received a plaque that he placed in a place of honor in his home.

Under the dynamic leadership of Sharon MacDonald, James Baker, Weldon Schuette, and Carl Wenning, the TCAA was formally incorporated in June 1984 and received official non-profit status from the state and federal governments in the autumn of 1984. Bylaws were carefully rewritten to suit the new status conferred upon the club by both state and federal law. The process of obtaining non-profit status was lengthy.

On Monday evening, February 4, 1985, six club members convened in the Fairview Park cabana to celebrate 25 years of club existence. These members, Bertha Kieviet, Weldon Schuette, Michael McCall, Sharon MacDonald, and Carolyn and Carl Wenning, started the commemorative meeting with a reading of the minutes of the organizational meeting held at that spot 25 year earlier. The history of the club was read for the first time. Each of the several members took turns reading this history aloud. The members then shared a "birthday" cake prepared to celebrate the event and reminisced about times past.

A festive gala celebrating the first quarter century of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers was held on Saturday evening, February 16,1985, at Ewing Manor in Bloomington. The event was attended by forty-five persons, some of whom had traveled all the way across the state to be present for the occasion. During this celebration Bertha Kieviet was honored with the presentation of a specially engraved pewter and crystal candy dish. The base read, "T.C.A.A., 25 Years, 1960-1985." The evening's events included an informal reception over punch and finger food from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., a banquet dinner at 7:00 p.m., and assorted activities afterwards. The activities included the showing of a special tape/slide program prepared by Carl Wenning entitled "Twenty-five Years in Space." The program exhibited things that occurred in space exploration from the time the Kieviets moved into town to the present. Slides taken of club members during past TCAA functions were also shown. There were numerous chances for everyone to reminisce throughout the evening. Door prizes were awarded at the evening's end, including a painting of the Horsehead nebula created and donated by Cindy Baker, and a piece of Skylab that was donated by a former member then working for NASA, Sue Remsburg. Bertha Kieviet donated a sun catcher in the shape of a star. The lucky winner of the Skylab fragment was Marianne Skinner. Mark Warren won the painting. Gary Skinner won the sun catcher.

Probably the single largest phenomenon that influenced the latter half of the 1980s was the third attempt by the TCAA to create a public observatory. The membership focused its attention and all its fund-raising efforts on this goal. Unfortunately, the public observatory did not become a reality due to forces beyond the control of the membership. This failure served to cause the membership to reflect on the work it had been doing with the general public and to redirect their efforts into more fruitful areas of endeavor.

Since 1983 the TCAA had been presenting public observing programs and talks at Comlara Park, six miles north of Normal. Beginning in 1985 the club had been a regular part and contributor to the Comlara Feast activities that were designed to generate revenue for and interest in the Park.

The service rendered at Compare Park as part of the club's mandate for existence. As a result, many members began to think of the possibility of erecting a public observatory that could both serve the public and the membership of the club. It was only natural to want to select a site within Compare Park. The site was workable, accessible, protected, and had a "captive audience" in the campers that frequented the area in search of outdoor adventures.

Desirous of creating a public observatory, the membership launched programs to generate revenues as has been seen with the Astronomy Day raffle, and not-for-profit status. In addition to the previous activities, club members promoted Chuck E. Cheese pizza sales, sold T-shirts, and two different types of Comet Hale guides. Following many Tuesday evenings during "mirror making" activities at the Carl Wenning home, the Astronomy Rendezvous and Conference came into being in 1987. The annual event, held in August for four years running, featured guest speakers, planetarium programs, laboratory exercises, a flea market, door prizes, and an observing session.

Plans and drawings for the proposed observatory were dusted off from the earlier Comlara Park phase with then park manager Roger Monk that had ended with the near demise of the park. Preliminary talks with park manager Bill Waggon had led the membership to believe that the club would be welcome to erect a public observatory at Comlara Park.

In anticipation of construction such a facility the club, at its December 1986 meeting, decided to purchase a DS-16 telescope by Odyssey. The members of the Decatur Area Astronomy Club were familiar with the that's desire to buy such an instrument and alerted the TCAA of the availability of a used 16-inch reflector in Decatur. In March 1987 Kevin Brown, Sharon MacDonald, Jim Moncher and Carl Wenning used $1,100 of club funds to purchase the telescope. Obtaining the telescope was just the first step in establishing a public observatory.

During the spring of 1987 Allan Timke discovered the Vesto M. Slipher Committee and its penchant for donating funds for worthy causes oriented toward public astronomy education. Carl Wenning requested and received a $550 grant from the Committee for the purchase and refurbishment of a used 22-foot diameter converted silo dome. Upon the recommendation of James Baker, the club purchased the dome from a private individual in northern Illinois. In August 1987 the dome was transported to Bloomington where it was stored in the Game Designer's Workshop. The cost of the dome was $350.

It would seem that everything was falling into place for the erection of the observatory, but that was not be. By the spring of 1988 it was becoming clear that there was a major stumbling block with the county--24-hour access by members of the TCAA. The club insisted upon it; Mr. Wasson resisted it. Since Mr. Wasson had up to this point represented the club before the McLean County Board, it was clear that the TCAA would have to make its own case before the Board.

Carl Wenning prepared a written proposal for the Property Committee of the McLean County Board in which the proposal was outline. It was present to Mr. Davis, chairman of the Committee, following the May meeting of the club. In the outline it was made very clear that the club insisted on 24-hour access. The Property Committee was willing to accept use until 10:00 p.m. without notification and until midnight with advanced notice. The club was unable to accept this provision as it was to build the observatory with its own revenues, turn the property over to the county, carry liability insurance, conduct public programs, and install its own equipment. The limitation seemed unreasonable to the membership as fishermen could be in the park at all hours. Following the recommendation of the club fat the May 1988 meeting, representatives of the club, Sharon MacDonald and Kevin Brown, formally withdrew the proposal.

In the following weeks and months the club redirected its interest and its finances. The club had amassed $3,600 for the observatory project and now this money was directed elsewhere. The $550 Slipher Committee grant was returned and the dome (which was in poor shape) scrapped. The remaining funds were used to purchase several telescopes for the club. After a deep and prolonged introspection it was decided that the new emphasis would be on the benefits of membership rather than the benefits to the general public.

Public education has always been and always will be a part of the TCAA. To illustrate the service rendered by the TCAA during the later half of the 1980s, consider the activities surrounding the appearance of Halley's Comet.

The first possible observation of Halley's Comet was made by Weldon Schuette on the evening of September 19, 1985. A confirming observation was made by Weldon on October 13. Darren Drake confirmed Weldon's "discovery." Sharon MacDonald gave a public talk on Halley's Comet and the Bayeau tapestry, Jim Baker gave a talk at Westminster Village, and Mike McCall gave a presentation at the Bloomington Public Library.

William Carney and several other TCAAers made some of the first naked-eye observation of Halley's Comet on December 6. They were mentioned in the April 1986 edition of Astronomy magazine and were similarly recognized on the front cover of the February Reflector of the Astronomical League. During the autumn and winter of 1985-86 the club hosted numerous observing sessions. The two largest observing sessions were held at Comlara Park on January 10 and 11, 1986. On these two evenings more than 2,000 individuals viewed the comet through a variety of telescopes. Weldon Schuette and Carl Wenning had both independently created observer's guides for the return of Halley's Comet. Ayne VandenBrook, planetarium volunteer and later a club member, helped Carl Wenning present several hundred planetarium programs about the comet that brought planetarium attendance to an all time annual high of 27,000.

On February 25 Carolyn and Carl Wenning made the club's first naked-eye, post-perihelion observation of the comet. It was glimpsed over a sea of fog from an elevated railroad bed just south of Bloomington. The comet had a nuclear brightness of about third magnitude and a visible tail 3 degrees long. This observation fueled interest and several parties traveled south to get better views of the comet's closest approach to earth in March. Carolyn and Carl went to Louisiana, Jim and Sue Baker went to Arizona, and Weldon Schuette went to Florida.

In the wee morning hours of March 14 the club's oldest member, Aubrey Johnson, became a Comet Halley "Two Timer." He recalled seeing the comet in 1910 when 12 years of age. Aubrey had a chance to recount both of his observations of Halley on that evening when he and two other guests from Westminster Village in Bloomington were invited to share their recollections. Aubrey was later recognized and congratulated on this second observation with a special Comet Halley Two-Timer plaque.

In late March the TCAA began holding morning observing sessions for the general public at the Apostolic Christian Church just east of Bloomington. On March 22 some 200 people showed up at 4:00 a.m. to view the comet. Before long it would be time to say good bye as the comet headed back out into the depths of the solar system to await the TCAA of 2061. In its wake it left the club with its largest membership ever--89. The TCAA said "hello" to many new members as a result of Halley. The TCAA had to say "good bye" to others that left, as it were, with it.

Weldon Schuette, along with Bertha Kieviet, had been the heart and soul of the club since its founder, John Kieviet, had died. Weldon died on August 19, 1986. Weldon joined the TCAA in 1961 and drove twice a month from Gibson City to participate in club functions. He had served in every elected capacity in the club and held elected office continuously since 1971. He reinstituted the TCAA Observer and was the newsletter editor from 1975 on. He was a dedicated and able observer having obtained the Messier Certificate and having observed satellites thousands of times.

Weldon was interested in all sorts of space and astronomy activities. He was a part of every program that was hosted by the TCAA. Weldon was dearly loved, deeply respected, and truly revered by his fellow club members. In honor of Weldon and in recognition of his service, the TCAA created the G. Weldon Schuette Society of Outstanding Amateur Astronomers on January 17, 1987--Weldon's birthday! Bertha Kieviet was inducted into the Society during the 1987 Annual Meeting in honor of her unceasing dedication and guidance of the club. Carl Wenning was to follow in 1988, and Sharon MacDonald was so honored in 1989. Donald Johnson was inducted at the 1990 Annual Meeting.

Sadness again touched the club during the autumn of 1989 when it was discovered that Ayne VandenBrook had died in the flower of youth. She was 24. Ayne had been a volunteer at the ISU Planetarium since her arrival at the University in 1983. Though completely blind in one eye and legally blind in the other, she was the match of any TCAA member at the telescope. She had obtained her Messier Certificate and was an inspiration to all who knew her.

During the latter part of the 1980s TCAAers made several significant observations some of which have been recounted above. Others include an observation of the Space Shuttle Challenger making a water dump on August 2, 1985. The Millers, Wennings, and Weldon Schuette observed the Space Shuttle looking like a comet or an airplane with its bright landing lights extending far out beyond. Nine members gathered to view the moon-Venus occultation on the morning of April 30, 1987, and to share breakfast a few hours later. The July 16, 1988, meeting was interrupted by an occultation of Regulus by the moon. The whole club watched. A host of club members gathered with the general public to view lunar and solar eclipses.

One amazing thing that resulted from the numerous observing activities was the acquisition of Messier certificates by TCAAers. In 1990 TCAAers held 2% of all the certificates awarded nationally.

During the autumn of 1986 Diamond Star Motors was erecting its Mitsubishi plant just west of Normal. Very concerned about outdoor lighting, Carl Wenning approached DSM and asked them to reconsider the use of their lighting. They did so! By November 1986 they had redesigned their storage and parking areas to include a smaller number of low pressure sodium vapor lamps that had downward reflectors. They were delighted with the projected long-term electrical savings. This is just one of the capacities in which Carl has served the TCAA. He was recognized for his service at the Annual Meeting of 1988 at which time he received Lifelong Honorary Membership.

The membership of the TCAA traveled a fair amount as a group during this period. The following field trips took place: DAAC Jamboree (1984-89); Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, Steven J. Gould,May 1985; Henry Crown Space Center, September 1986; University of Illinois campus observatory, November 1986; Huntsville (AL) Space and Rocket Center, March 1987; Astronomy from Illinois Conference, Clyde Tombaugh, April 1988; and the U of I Radio Observatory, July 1989.

It seems inauspicious to begin this chapter of the history of the TCAA by talking about endings. However, endings impacted the membership in this organization in a much greater way than ever before during this five-year period. First and foremost among these endings was the ending of the life of our co-founder Bertha Kieviet on October 6, 1994. She had been an active member of the club since day one and continued to be so up to the very end--even attending the very last meeting before her death a few weeks later. Other club members, and past members, passed from the scene as well. This included Thomas Moore (1990), Howard Southerland (1991), Eugene Miller (1991), Miriam Johnson (1993), and Aubrey Johnson (1994). Somehow the club will never be the same without them.

Not only people passed from the TCAA scene, so it was with certain club-sponsored events and activities. Among the casualties was Astronomy Day, last held in 1993; ARC--the Astronomy Rendezvous and Conference -- last held in August 1990; and Adult Education, last held in spring 1993. There were several disappointing events as well during this era. Comet Austin, expected to rival Comet West of 1976, fizzled during the spring of 1990. The supposedly dazzling Perseid Meteor storms of 1993 and 1994 were abject failures for US observers, though a few bright meteors were observed by non-Illinoisans that had clear skies. The Community Astronomy Rendezvous, the TCAA's answer to the DAAC Jamboree, scheduled in May and held in September 1993 also fizzed, but not for want of trying. The 1992-93 resurrection of the Junior Astronomers division of the TCAA also fell flat due to the fact that there was insufficient time available to those making an effort to resurrect the division. The TCAA involvement in ISU's College for Youth has also gone by the wayside. The traditional Christmas party has changed from the large event it once was to a simple pizza party. Nonetheless, many good things happened in the five years as well.

On January 25, 1991, the TCAA acquired by donation the Marie Antoinette Finnigan Observatory at Downs that was subsequently outfitted with a C-14 telescope through the generosity of club member Michael Rogers. Through the generosity of the site owner, Mr. Jim Jones, the observatory continues on at the original location to this day.

Throughout the course of these five years the membership continued to follow its mandate to provide public service unabated. During the summer of 1990 the TCAA membership was instrumental in putting on a "Family Space Odyssey" at the ISU Museum. They also assisted with science open house solar displays on the university campus.

Nighttime observing sessions for the general public abounded. These included monthly summer sessions with the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department at Ewing Park III, and solar observing at Fairview Park. Several special sessions were held for the public that featured the Shoemaker-Levy/Jupiter impacts during July 1994. Additionally, several lunar eclipses were successfully observed with the general public including a particularly beautiful lunar eclipse (eclipsed moon rising) on December 9, 1992. Eight-year-old Rebecca Wenning observed the lunar eclipse of November 28, 1993. During this event she was able to determine the longitude of Bloomington-Normal. Using a both a salt-based hour glass and the method first employed by Christopher Columbus, she had an error of only one-quarter of one degree in longitude.

Not to be missed was the phenomenally successful annular eclipse of the sun on May 10, 1994, when hundreds assembled for TCAA-sponsored observing sessions at Ash Park in Normal and on the IWU campus in Bloomington. (TCAA member and ISU Planetarium Director Carl Wenning prepared a 16-page booklet called "The Great Eclipse." Some 400 schools in Illinois adopted the publication as their official guide to the event.)

Public service also extended to non-observational activities. Included in the extensive listing are the following: providing a guest speaker for the Decatur Area Astronomy Club's Jamboree (every year since its inception), writing three Pantagraph features (moon-Venus, Perseid meteors, and a lunar eclipse), sponsorship of Star Date on WGLT-FM since 1992 (made possible by the incredible generosity of Mike Rogers and Jean Memken), and Skyline (a monthly telephone update provided by Carl Wenning through the ISU Planetarium). During the summers of 1992 and 1993 Sharon MacDonald, David Portree, and Carl Wenning presented programs through ISU's College for Youth. Of particular note were the programs "Rockets to Space," "Junior Astronomers," and "Junior Planetarium Directors."

The membership put on some well-received displays as well. These included a 1993 Diamond Star Employees Day (for which the TCAA received a $200 honorarium), Astronomy Day, and a six-month astronomy display set up at the Prairie Aviation Museum at the B-N airport by Carl and Rebecca Wenning during the summer of 1994. A beautiful astronomy display was also erected at the Bloomington Public Library during the summer of 1994 by Sandy McNamara and Mike Rogers.

Non-public observations were rewarding as well. Supernovas were observed in M81 and M51 during the time period, and several spectacular auroras were observed by club members during the winter of 1992. The July 1994 comet impacts on Jupiter were the rage among TCAA observers. Several TCAA members attempted and completed the club's seasonal mini-Messier marathons as well.

During this five-year interval the TCAA membership carried the banner to a host of astronomical conventions scattered all over the nation. These included Astrofest (yearly), Hidden Hollow (1992), the Universe '92 convention in Madison and Universe '94 in Phoenix (Lenore Trainor). Three members (Sharon MacDonald, Mike Miller, and Carl Wenning) attended ALCON '93 in Madison and one member, Sandy McNamara, attended ALCON '94 in Kansas City. Time Maurer attended the Riverside Convention in California in 1992 and 1994. Lenore Trainor and Carl Wenning attended the North Central Astronomical League convention in Burlington, Iowa, in April 1994. Carl gave the keynote address at the convention. His talk dealt with a national survey of amateur astronomers that he has been conducting.

Shorter field trips to the Adler Planetarium by seven members and one guest in August 1992, to Yerkes Observatory in both August 1990 (12 participants) and November 1991 (2 participants), and to the Field Museum in December 1993 to see the Star Trek display (four members and one guest) were undertaken.

Several members ventured far afield in pursuit of their astronomical and space interests. Field trips of an extensive nature took place in both 1991, 1993, and 1994. These included a three-day Space Camp field trip by Carolyn and Rebecca Wenning in December of 1993, and two expeditions undertaken by club members in an effort to view total solar eclipses. In an effort to observe the July 11, 1991, eclipse club members Sharon MacDonald, Roy and Barb Ostberg, Lynn Waishwell, Mike Starasta, and Garth Bock, along with non-member Ann Krump journeyed to Mazatlan, Mexico. Four club members (Roy and Barb Ostberg, Sharon MacDonald, and Carl Wenning) organized a trip and traveled in a group of eight to Potosi, Bolivia, to view the November 3, 1994, event. Only the second venture was successful.

TCAA members were honored during this time period as well. At the 1991 Annual Meeting Jim Moncher was inducted into the G. Weldon Schuette Society of Outstanding Amateur Astronomers. The same honor was conferred upon Sandy McNamara at the Annual Meeting in 1994. Former TCAA member Darren Drake, video astrophotographer extraordinnaire, had video footage of the Jupiter comet impacts shown on national TV (PBS) in July 1994. Sandy McNamara received her honorary Messier certificate and Brian Barling his provisional Messier certificate in 1994.

In an effort to revamp the way the meetings were conducted three different interest groups were arranged which gave monthly reports or presentations in 1992. The three groups were naked-eye, solar system, and deep space. This format operated for about a year until it fell out of use due to the fact that members in charge of the various sections would miss meetings from time to time.

One of the changes that the club has undergone during this time period is a change in the editorship of the TCAA Observer. In June 1993 Michael Rogers and Jean Memken took over the production of the Observer. There were immediate changes in both form and content, the likes of which the TCAA had never seen before. Production quality, layout, and content have markedly improved due to the untiring efforts of the editors. This author would be remiss not to mention that the editorial staff has prepared, printed, and posted the 16-page monthly Observer at their own expense since taking over the editorial duties in 1993.

As a group, the TCAA has been honored by the presence of keynote speakers at its Annual Meeting banquets. Banquet speakers have included Pamela Gossin (Millikin University English Department., '90), (Herman) Lew Detweiller (IWU Physics, '91), Jim Stanlaw (ISU Anthropology Department, '92), David Leake (Champaign-Urbana Astronomical Society, '93), and Eric Clifton (Peoria Astronomical Society, '94).

Though the Junior division of the TCAA died an untimely death, the younger members of the group still found time to make significant contributions to the club. Briana Trainor and Rebecca Wenning both wrote articles for the TCAA Observer and were recognized for their literary accomplishments during the 1994 Annual Meeting.

So ends the first 35 years of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers. Anyone who has ever been a member of this club can be proud of the fact. The club has expanded the awareness of members and non-members by its many years of public service. The club has certainly influenced some of its younger members to pursue further education by expanding their horizons past the small world in which they live. The club has also provided its members with friendships that will last a lifetime. Each member of this club can recall the past with pride, can live in the present to its fullest in harmony with other members, and can look forward to a future full of promise. The future, like the past of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers, is bright. Let's all hope that the TCAA will last another 35 years!