After introductory remarks by Robert Sanders, founder of the Association, it was moved that the name of the organization be Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton. The motion was passed. Mr. Sanders suggested that three committees be formed, and appointed members as follows:

Meetings and Programs: Gifford Havens, chairman; Stan Wells, Nancy Harris.
By-Laws: Fred Bowers, chairman;Milo Wadlin, Ron Rogers.
Nominating: It was suggestedthat this committee wait for a couple months to allow members to become acquainted. After some discussion of meeting dates and times, it was decided to hold meetings on the second Monday of each month. The next meeting will be on December 10, 1962 at 8 PM.

There was some discussion of telescopes owned by members. Six members have their own telescopes, and four have observatories. Mr. Sanders suggested that the next meeting be devoted to telescopes. A motion to make Sanders temporary chairman was passed. He offered to have the next meeting at the Lawrenceville School. A motion to adjourn was passed.
(Signed) Gifford Havens.

11/1/68 Member Henry Kalman purchases the 6 inch refractor from Frank Faltum of the old Galileo Club of Trenton for $200. He then sells it to the AAAP.

9/71 [First newsletter in JC files.] Minutes of 7/71 meeting. Election of officers: Barry Hancock, Director (continuing); Norman Sperling, Assist. Dir.; Kurt Rahlfs, Sec.; Art Martz, Treas.; Leith Holloway, Prog. Chmn. George Parker, outgoing treasurer, repts. balance of $255.

Our large refractor, which has been sitting unused for some time, has been recently restored to active service. At the September meeting of the AAAP, the writer was given the responsibility of moving the instrument from George Parker's farm and putting it in reasonable condition for use. George's station wagon and my car proved adequate for the task, and by Sept. 14th the basically fine but antique and neglected telescope was in my back yard.

The first order of business was to arrange, somehow, to have the instrument protected from the weather. It has been sitting exposed for a lengthy period, and al though most of the mechanism is brass and painted iron (thus being relatively immune to moisture), a few vital parts, such as the steel worm for the right ascension drive, were showing serious signs of corrosion. The assembly weighs in the neigh borhood of a quarter-ton -- about the same as an upright piano -- and is NOT your ordinary garden variety portable telescope. It could not be stored in my garage and moved out for observation without some sort of moving equipment. However, a solu tion was soon found. A strong dolly was constructed, with 4 heavy-duty ball bearing casters, and the base of the pier is now firmly bolted to the wooden platform. It is now possible for me to wheel the telescope in and out of my garage unassisted, al though it is still considerable effort, inasmuch as there is a slight grade to my black top driveway. When placed on a level spot on the driveway, however, the telescope is quite stable, even on wheels, due to its great mass. Problem satisfactorily solved.

The objective of this telescope has a clear aperture of 6.19". It was filthy. Although the exterior surface was protected by a heavy brass cap, some corrosion had taken place inside the cell, and flakes of corroded brass had gotten between the crown and flint elements. There was also a fair amount of gummy brown residue on the interior surfaces. The objective was therefore carefully disassembled, with due regard to the orientation of the elements relative to each other, and given a thorough but gentle cleaning. There remain some scratches, however, as would be expected from the estimated 100-plus years of age. The scratches are not serious and do not appreciably degrade the contrast and resolution of the image. More on this below.

The brasswork has been cleaned as far as possible, and the pier and tube have been repainted. The tube has 2 coats of white enamel, and the pier has been repainted black. The equatorial head is difficult to paint, due to its intricate construction, and this has been left with its original battleship gray paint for the time being. Mechanically, the mount is in good condition. All bearings work smoothly, and even the declination slow motion is OK. Corrosion of the steel worm should not be a problem, provided no further corrosion occurs.

The telescope had no finder. A 7x30 model has been ordered from Jaegars, and should arrive soon.

The original eyepiece holder is 2 inches ID. An ancient Ramsden eyepiece was fit ted to this. This eyepiece has a focal length of about 1 inch, and consequently gives about 90x with the 90 or 91-inch focal length of the objective. However, it has very short eye relief and is uncomfortable to use, especially with objects high in the sky. I have adapted the eyepiece holder of my own 4-inch refractor to the eyepiece holder of the large scope, and it is now usable with a diagonal and any standard 1-1/4 inch eyepiece.

Optically the scope is performing excellently. Due to poor seeing, I have not yet attempted very difficult objects, but even with relatively poor seeing, the close pair of Epsilon Lyrae is very cleanly split, with the smallest diffraction discs I have yet seen on this pair. M l3 is bright and beautifully resolved. The Perseus double clusters are magnificent. Jupiter shows great detail, even with bad seeing (at moments), and a shadow transit was spectacular. The big aperture and long focal length make for much better image contrast than usually seen with smaller apertures. At 300x, I could practically count individual boulders in Copernicus, or so it seemed.

Most good nights will find me out with this telescope. Club members are invited to use it whenever the spirit moves. Call me early any good evening at 799-0723; with few exceptions, I will be home and the instrument will be available. Use it: it's your telescope.

The treasury balance was $490 before reimbursing John Church $67 for expenses in refurbishing the refractor (finder scope, clock drive motor, and assorted minor items). A possible club observatory was discussed at some length.

12/72 Report on the AAAP’s Tenth Anniversary Dinner, held on Nov. 13, 1972 at Emerson’s Steakhouse. Approximately 35 members and guests were present. An observatory committee was appointed, consisting of John Church (chair), Dave Apgar (co-chair), Harry Bernhagen, Mike Clark, Barry Hancock, Joe Lopez, Dick Peery, Bill Phillips, Steve Shutt, and Roxanne Tobin. The first meeting of the committee was held at John’s home on Nov. 29. Possible observatory sites were discussed.

NOTE:[Ironically, the consensus was to eliminate Washington Crossing State Park from further consideration.]

1/73 Exasperated by constantly overcast skies in NJ, Roxanne Tobin, writer of the column “Roaming The Skies” in Cluster, writes satire on her own column called “Roaming The Clouds.” Article is accompanied by sky map showing such objects as Dubheious, Vague, Denebulus, Ridiculous, and Beta Cumulonimbus.

5/73 Election of officers: John Church, Director; Karl Koehler, Asst. Dir.; Roxanne Tobin, Sec.; Mike Clark, Prog. Chairman; Joe Lopez, Treasurer.

7/73 Announcement of Star Party/Picnic at Wash. Crossing on 8/25. At the July meeting, it was announced that it might be possible to put a club observatory on the grounds of the Institute for Advanced Study.

11/73 Nov. 10 transit of Mercury is observed and timed from John Church’s driveway, using the 6-inch refractor. Present are Freeman Dyson and Tullio Regge of the Institute for Advanced Study. A report is sent to Sky and Telescope, and the timings are published. Plans proceeding to place observatory in a modified aluminum garage at the Institute that will be put on roll-off tracks. Karl Koehler preparing detailed drawings. This proposal not adopted, however, due to finding that the Institute requires all construction to be performed by outside unionized labor, which the AAAP could not possibly afford.

12/73 Leith Holloway appointed by AAAP Board to fill unexpired term of Joe Lopez as Treasurer, as Joe had to resign due to the press of other business.Treasury balance stands at $430, and the Observatory Fund at $300. Dick Peery is Observatory Committee chair. Comet Kohoutek disappoints.

Mike Clark arranges for AAAP to sponsor a special public lecture by Dr. Immanuel Velikovsky in 10 McCosh Hall, Princeton Univ. on Monday, April 22 at which he discusses his controversial theories, published in “Worlds In Collision” and elsewhere. The large lecture hall is nearly full. Difficult questions are adroitly side-stepped by Dr. Velikovsky, who cites his remarks in various published articles without further elaboration.

5/74 Current officers are re-elected for another term.

8/74 AAAP sends a large contingent to Stellafane. Observatory Fund stands at $807, with $107 in pledges outstanding. Treasury at $300.

12/74 AAAP prepares a preliminary Certificate of Incorporation as a non profit NJ organization.

4/75 AAAP constitution is revised and adopted.

5/75 New officers elected: Richard Peery, Director; Steve Shutt, Asst. Dir.; Roxanne Tobin, Secr.; John Church, Prog. Chair; Leith Holloway, Treasurer.

8/75 Another large AAAP contingent goes to Stellafane.

9/75 Attribution of 6-inch refractor to Henry Fitz, ca. 1851, proposed earlier by Norman Sperling, remains in the forefront of possibilities.

10/75 AAAP constitution is amended to reflect need to distribute any assets on dissolution to another nonprofit organization, in order to achieve nonprofit tax exemption and tax savings for donors.

12/75 Observatory Chair Bill Phillips reports favorable progress towards establishing an observatory at Washington Crossing State Park, following a meeting with DEP, the State Museum, and the AAAP observatory committee. About $1500 is now in the Observatory Fund, and the total cost of materials is estimated at $4500.

1/13/76 Motion passes to authorize the Board of Trustees of the AAAP to propose an appropriate formal agreement with the State of NJ regarding the construction of an observatory at Washington Crossing. By passing this motion, the AAAP commits to constructing an observatory upon final ratification of an agreement with the state.

2/3/76 AAAP officially incorporates. For the first year, the Trustees are Richard Peery (Director), John Church (Prog. Chair), and Leith Holloway (Treasurer). Also signing the certificate are Anthony Miskowski and Henry Kalman.

2/14/76 IRS notifies AAAP that it is exempt from Federal income tax as a nonprofit 514 (c) (3) organization. Our Federal ID No. is 51-0146820. Donors can deduct donations on their own income taxes, retroactive to 1963.

5/76 Current officers re-elected. Negotiations proceed with state for the site at Washington Crossing.

10/76 Planetarium and AAAP continue to hold observing sessions at the site selected for the observatory.

1/77 Lease for the observatory site is nearly finalized.

2/8/77 Text of lease approved by AAAP at general meeting.

4/77 In April issue of Cluster, John Church tentatively identifies the lens of the 6-inch refractor as having been made by Charles Hastings, from its measured surface radii and other optical data.

4/2/77 Ground is broken for the observatory. Regular Saturday work sessions begin, with pick and shovel excavation of footings to 36 inches depth.

5/77 Officers elected: Dick Peery, Director (3rd term); Roxanne Tobin, Asst. Dir.; Dave Brown, Sec.; Leith Holloway, Treas.; Steve Shutt, Prog. Chair. Foundations and floor poured at observatory.

6/77 Rough piping in, pier foundations poured.

9/77 Four courses of cinder block have been laid. Five AAAP members observe and time a spectacular grazing occultation of 5.6 mag. Zeta Librae in Bordentown by a crescent moon. Comments are taped and played at the next general meeting. [Transcript published in Cluster and reprinted in the March ’92 issue of Sidereal Times.]

3/78 First meeting in Peyton Hall; previously, meetings had been held in Room A-07 of Jadwin Hall. Russell Hulse, future Nobel laureate, talks on “The Observable Properties of Pulsars.”

5/78 Officers elected: Leith Holloway, Director and Acting Treasurer; Roxanne Peery, Asst. Dir.; Scott Smith, Sec.; Dave Brown, Prog. Chair.

6/78 Observatory roof under construction. Cluster ceases publication.

Summer/78 Doug Wurzler appointed Treasurer. Roof completed and door installed.

8/29/78 Six-inch refractor is moved from John Church’s garage and installed in the observatory.

9/78 Total observatory expenditures to date are $3,800, and $200 remains in the fund.

11/78 Roof crank assembly under construction. Roof presently has to be pushed off by several people with poles. Trench for electric power being dug.

12/78 Roof opening mechanism is installed.

2/79 Power not yet hooked up due to delays in township inspection. Long time member George Parker passes away in Florida at 68.

3/79 First joint AAAP-NJ State Museum Star Party at the observatory is scheduled for 3/23. Nine AAAP-ers saw the total solar eclipse in Manitoba on 2/26. John Church’s article on the history of the 6-inch Hastings-Byrne refractor is published in the March Sky & Telescope.

4/79 Dr. Tullio Regge, formerly active AAAP member, receives Einstein Award at the opening ceremonies of the Einstein Centennial Symposium at the Institute for Advanced Study on March 4th. Electric wiring at observatory passes Hopewell Township inspection.

5/79 Special guests at the AAAP meeting are Mrs. Thomas Lowry, granddaughter of Charles Hasting (designer and grinder of the objective lens in our refractor), and her son and grandchildren. The current slate of officers is re-elected. Long time member, co-founder, and observatory designer Karl Koehler is honored on his retirement and presented with an engraved pewter mug for his many contributions to the AAAP. Karl is moving to Arizona, where the skies are not cloudy all day and night.

6/79 Electric power is connected at the observatory.

7/79 AAAP inaugurates “Star Wash” car washing events to raise funds. Karl Koehler’s 10-inch reflector installed at observatory. Good progress on plumbing wastewater disposal system. Long-time active member and Program Chair Mike Clark moves to South Carolina.

Late 7/79 AAAP picnic and 100th birthday party for refractor scheduled for 8/18. First “Star Wash” (organized by Doug Wurzler) raises $170 for the Observatory Fund. Although it was cloudy, Kurt Goepfert had brought his telescope so that customers could view sunspots by projection. (Many other such events are to be held in the future, raising significant funds. )

8/79 AAAP picnic is held on 8/19. Burglar alarm built and installed at the observatory. Septic tank is built and covered. Water supply not yet hooked up.

10/79 300 foot water pipe laid to the observatory from the Nature Center’s well. Pat Kane has a friend with a backhoe dig the trench, and John Church connects the water. Bathroom fixtures still to be installed. Dave Brown initiates idea of starting a weekend retreat near Blairstown in North Jersey, near the Water Gap. This later matures into the famous “Jersey Starquest.”

12/79 Sink installed. Toilet donated by Karen Procaccini. Septic tank and leach field are completed and covered with dirt. Left-over gravel put on access road. Roxanne Peery reports that in our first year of observatory opera tion, 54 sessions were held, with 8 public star parties and more than 150 guests from the public.

1/80 Harry Johnson is appointed to fill vacant post of Secretary.

3/80 Some frost heaving and freezing of the roof occurs at observatory.

4/80 Karl Koehler reports that he laid 3,000 bricks for his new round observatory in Arizona. In a special April Fool’s Day report, the AAAP is said to have been awarded $50,000 for a research grant to study the famous correlation between public star parties and bad weather.

5/80 Long-time member Cdr. Joe Richey, USN (retired), passes away on April 25th at age 81. Joe had been a member since the early ‘60’s and was also very active in amateur radio, holding a coveted “short call” (K2AT). Water turned on at observatory, and toilet connected. Telephone to be installed. Future Director Jay Albert joins AAAP. Roxanne Peery elected Director, Kurt Goepfert Asst. Director, Dave Brown Prog. Chair, Doug Wurzler Treasurer, Harry Johnson/Pat Kane co-Secretaries.

Summer/80 Wall finished between bathroom and utility room. Roof mechanism adjusted. Drainage pipe work around foundation to alleviate frost heaving problem.

10/80 Meeting site is changed to the Institute for Advanced Study for one year.

2/81 About a dozen AAAP members make a field trip to Sproul Observatory at Swarthmore, organized by Dave Brown. Prof. Wulff Heinz conducts the tour, but unfortunately the weather is cloudy.

3/81 Frost heaving problem at observatory prevents roof opening and causes interior door sticking. Drought causes postponement of popular “Star Washes”.

5/81 Current officers re-elected, with addition of Marc Halfon as Secretary and Kurt Rahlfs as Program Chair. Low member participationnoted as an issue, with dropping attendance. Treasury at a low point.

9/81 Treasury replenished due to a successful Star Wash. Meetings resume at Peyton Hall.

11/81 Member Freeman Dyson receives the Wolf Prize for his work on unified field theory.

3/82 Floor continues to heave at the observatory and jam the roof by its effect on the main partition, which does not have an independent footing.

5/82 New officers elected: Kurt Goepfert, Director; Marc Halfon, Asst. Dir.; Dave Crisp, Prog. Chair; Doug Wurzler, Treasurer; Kurt Rahlfs, Secretary.

8/82 Nine AAAP members attend Stellafane.

9/82 AAAP sponsors an Astronomy Weekend at Quaker Bridge Mall on Sept. 25-26, organized by Jay Albert. More than 160 shoppers stop at our exhibit. Star Wash on 10/16 brings in $169.

11/82 Dave Brown plans a club outing at Beemerville, later to be the site of numerous Jersey Starquests). Co-founder Robert Sanders returns to Princeton area and renews membership, as AAAP marks its 20th birthday.

12/82 Don and Mike Monticello and future Director Larry Smith join AAAP.

2/83 By-Laws are revised to recognize existence of observatory.

5/83 Officers re-elected, with addition of Jay Albert as Secretary and Dave Brown as Program Chair.

7/83 Ninth “Star Wash” brings in a record $254. Participants included Art Esposito, Leith Holloway, Kurt Goepfert, Signe Harrison, Dick and Roxanne Peery, Larry Smith, Scott Smith, Robert Sanders, Jay & Mike Albert, and the Monticellos.

9/83 AAAP sponsors “QB Mall II” at Quaker Bridge Mall. About 200 club brochures are handed out.

12/83 AAAP rents 12.5” reflector from Don Monticello and Mark Halfon, who purchased it from John Simpson. Purchase price to be eventually paid to them from club pledges, and the telescope to be permanently acquired. Beemerville weekend was a success, with clear weather.

5/84 New officers elected: Jay Albert, Director; Art Esposito, Asst. Dir.; Al Zampirri, Secretary; Doug Wurzler, Treasurer; Dave Brown, Program Chair.

6/84 Installation of the Simpson 12.5” reflector proceeds at observatory.

7/84< Installation of 12.5” completed. Steelwork needs repainting. Cinder block painting planned.

9/84 Six-inch tube repainted. Scraping of steelwork begun. Roof opening problem under consideration (cable slippage). Thieves break in observatory through rotted roof ends and take 2 eyepieces worth $100 each. Alarm functions, rangers come out, but thieves escape.

11/84 Roof cable system improved. Louisa Lockette becomes Public Relations chairperson. Second Beemerville star party is held.

12/84 Special recognition given to Dave Brown and Doug Wurzler for their many years of hard work on behalf of the club.