The Founders
By Patrick Dodson
(with extended thanks to Bert Willard and Matt Considine for their much needed help in the creation of these pages)
The "Springfield Telescope Makers" was officially chartered in 1923. Yet its roots go back further - specifically to 1920 when Russell W. Porter gathered sixteen people in a basement room to show them how to build a telescope. Little did the group know that their informal gatherings once-a-week would result in an exhibit at a state fair, a new product line for a local manufacturing company, and annual gatherings. With the support of Albert Ingalls writing in "Scientific American" these gatherings would lead to the Club's monthly meetings and what is now known as the Stellafane Convention.
To read a more in-depth account of the First Class that started it all, take a look at the First Class page.
It was not exactly a smooth start. One of the original men to put his name on the sign-up list backed out. Another had to leave town before his mirror was finished. And even after a few years, three members had not finished their telescopes.
But fifteen men and one woman, and the success surrounding the first class did generate interest in the creation of a club and a convention that persists to this day. And while some of the names may overlap, some had left before the founding of the club.
Two of the main forces behind the group - Russell Porter and Oscar Marshall - went on to other duties as part of the Palomar Observatory project and their efforts can be read about in numerous books (and Marshall's autobiography). The remaining members led much more conventional lives...
What's in a Name?
Where did the "Springfield Telescope Makers" come from? It sounds like a question with
an easy answer - it was the inspiration of Russell Porter. True, but in looking into this
question one finds a more complicated picture. It is a
question that bears reflection. In fact, one must also answer the question
of where the Springfield telescope makers came from, that is, the individuals involved
in the group at its outset and the circumstances under which they came together.
Interestingly, 'Springfield Telescope Makers'
wasn't even its first name. Records show that at one point, an
early name for the club was 'The Telescope Makers of
Springfield', and while there might have also been many
more variations before they settled on an official name, we aren't
entirely sure when that occured. The 'Springfield
Telescope Makers' certainly have a nice ring to it, and
we are glad that they eventually settled on that as an official
name.
The beginning does in fact start with Russell Porter. Brought back to his home state in 1919
by James Hartness - a fellow astronomy enthusiast - Porter had by this time been involved
in the making of telescope mirrors for his own use. He had also published several articles
in "Popular Astronomy" and hosted a meeting of a few amateurs in Port Clyde. Familiar with
the written work of the Rev. Ellison, as well as the efforts of Professor Fullan at Auburn,
Porter was primed to combine his enthusiasm, artistic and mechanical skills with a group of
willing neophytes.
The circumstances of 1919/1920, the economic recession and the largess of James Hartness would
facilitate the creation of a telescope making class. The fact that the group of people in
the class would develop into a club, though, is due as much to the individuals in the club
as it was to Porter himself.
The Charter was drawn up as 'The Telescope Makers of Springfield' on December 7, 1923, at Oscar Seth Marshall's home.
So here are the founders of the club, and the positions they held at its inception. Click on their picture to get a biography.
The Original Springfield Telescope Makers
Porter President |
Pierce Vice-President |
Marshall Secretary / Treasurer |
Fullam Executive Committee |
Exec Committee |
|
Lyon |
|
Baker |
|
Flanders |
Flanders |
Back to the Early History Page