John Dobson, whose name has become synonymous with large, easy to use telescopes, has passed away at the age of 98. He started building large reflectors with alt-az mounts on them for the purpose of taking them to the streets and sharing views of the night sky with passers-by. He not only pioneered the concept of sidewalk astronomy, but of course we now refer to this style of telescope as a Dobsonian. These scopes were easy to make and used inexpensive materials, making large apertures achievable and affordable for many amateurs. Few other individuals have had such great influence on the world of amateur astronomy.

I had the pleasure of meeting him a few years ago, and he was still vigorous and invigorating. I know that the other HAA members who had the same pleasure also found him to be quite a character, even well into his 90s. A club like ours, which does so much outreach, is a fitting legacy to Dobson, along with the many scopes that bear his name, that so many of us use.