History of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers
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1960 - The Founding of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers1
In 1960 the group to become known as Twin City Amateur Astronomers came into being.
The impetus for this new club was provided by John (b. 10/22/1908, Chicago) and
Bertha (b. 2/24/1924, nee Ziebell) Kieviet who had moved to Normal (715 N. School Street)
in 19572. Both John and Bertha had been very active in the Galesburg Amateur Astronomers3
of Galesburg, Illinois, with John having only recently served as president.
This was a space club whose members came from the local community, including
Galesburg High School students and professors from Knox College. John’s work as an
architect4 eventually 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 their
new hometown. With the passing of the next three years, the lack of an astronomy club
seemed to be a growing omission in light of the fact that so many space-related “firsts”
had happened: Sputnik, Leika the space dog, the satellites Explorer and 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. John and Bertha resolved to remedy the situation.
The Kieviets 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 announcements were made in the local
newspaper, The Pantagraph, 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
organization, and never a moneymaking endeavor. Dues were set at $3.50 for the first
adult family member, $1 for each additional adult family member, and $3.00 for students.
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 if such a newsletter was to be
established. Sky & Telescope magazine was adopted as a benefit of membership for those
who wished to acquire it.
John Kieviet was selected as temporary chairman of the club because the election of
officers was pending. Mrs. Eileen Jetton5 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 individuals present at that meeting
agreed to meet on the first and third Thursdays of each 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; Henry (Hank) Janecek,
vice-president; Judy Walker, recording secretary; Eileen Jetton corresponding secretary
and treasurer; and Robert Courtney, librarian. Norma Fese6 suggested the
name “Twin City Amateur Astronomers”. Norma attended the first few meetings of the
organization but never officially joined. The first dues payments were collected at
this time.7
Under John Kieviet’s able leadership, the first year of the club’s existence proved to
be very active. An attempt at monthly public viewing sessions was made and the sky – with
it’s many and varied celestial events – was very accommodating. On the night of
March 12-13, club members viewed a total 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, members watched the annual Perseid Meteor shower.
On September 5 a total lunar eclipse and the Aurora Borealis were observed simultaneously.
On September 20 club members viewed a late afternoon partial solar eclipse, and three days
later the public was treated to another peak at Jupiter, Saturn and, this time, the
crescent moon. October 8 marked the date for the first ever 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. During the first year of the club, there
were only three notable telescopes among the membership – a 6-inch reflector built and
owned by John Kieviet, a 3-inch refractor owned by Robert Courtney, and a 3-inch Newtonian
reflector owned by high school student David B. Williams. Nonetheless, the membership of
this new and lively club made excellent use of very limited resources.
In addition to attending observing sessions at Fairview Park in Normal, at Oakland School
in Bloomington, and at the homes of club members, John Kieviet encouraged TCAAers to
prepare “Vital Statistics” for every meeting. These “Vital Statistics” (Julian date,
moon phase, age, sidereal time, location of planets, sunset, end of twilight, and other
current information) became a part of regular club meetings through the late 1970s.
During wintertime the Fairview Park bathhouse was converted into a recreation hall
because bathers were not then using it. During the summer the bathhouse was not
available and so club members met in any of a variety of locations – in the Police
Department of the Town of Normal city hall, Fairview Sanitarium, Citizens Savings and
Loan, Victory Hall, Felmley Hall of Science at Illinois State University (ISU), and
Sherff Hall of Science at Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU).
The astronomy club had an auspicious beginning under the able leadership of John and
Bertha Kieviet; the membership of the club (having grown to 23 by the end of the year)
certainly agreed, for at the end of 1960 the club membership presented John with a
gaveled plaque recognizing 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 Fairview Swimming Pool cabana with a large photograph
appearing in The Pantagraph newspaper the next day. During this first year of the TCAA,
The Pantagraph carried no less than 15 articles chronicling the activities of the newly
formed club. Thanks to David Williams,8 the next five years of TCAA activity was
chronicled quite carefully in a club newsletter.
1 In an interesting side note, the TCAA was not the first astronomy club in the Twin Cities. During the early 1900s a
small group was formed in Bloomington. See Appendix 1 for details.
2 John and Bertha married on May 26, 1934. They had two daughters when the club was founded, Valeria (18; later
married Vernelle Armour; Valeria passed away on January 1, 2010) and Kora (13; later married James Searcy).
There was also a son, Victor, who was stillborn in 1939. Both daughters spent their lives in Bloomington-Normal.
3 A newspaper clipping from the late 1950s and in the possession of Vernelle Armour titled Astronomers Group Hears
Description of California Telescope reads as follows: “A report on their recent visit to the telescope at Mount
Palomar, Calif., was given Wednesday night by John Kieviet and Bertha Kieviet at the July meeting of the Galesburg
Amateur Astronomers in the Lowell Whitsitt home at Abingdon. After the meeting, which was conducted by Kieviet
as vice president in the absence of Ralph Sabetti, president, the members participated in viewing through portable
telescopes. Providing the telescopes were Carl Sand, Harlowe Horein and Kieviet. The next meeting will be held
Aug. 3.”
4 John worked for Schaefer, Wilson & Evans, Architects, 108 West Monroe Street, Bloomington, Illinois.
5 At the time of this writing (December 2009), Eileen Jetton is 99 years old and still living in Bloomington, IL.
6 Norma Verlee Fese was another of the last surviving adults associated with the founding of the TCAA. She passed
away on December 24, 2009 – almost 50 years from founding of the club. She was 88 years old. Norma was always
enjoyed discussing “science, space and many of life’s mysteries” according to her obituary appearing in The
Pantagraph on December 28, 2009. At that time Norma was the 38-year-old mother of three.
7 In order of dues payment on March 4, 1960, here are the founding members of the club in 1960: Owen Brooks,
Taylor Cisco, Robert Courtney, Spencer DePauw, Jim Engan, Henry Janecek, Eileen Jetton, Bertha Kieviet, John
Kieviet, Mary Knickerbocker, Sue Remsburg, Pearl Reynolds, Judy Walker, and David Williams. Warren Light was
present at this meeting, but paid his dues on March 17 along with Dennis Soebbing, and Dan L. Hovis. Karen
Mishler joined on April 7, Michael Ryder joined on April 23, and Wilma Dickman joined on September 1.
8 Years later, David would become president of the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) for
two terms running from 2005-2007. Further, David would serve on the AAVSO Council for more than ten years
during which time his efforts included the purchase of the Sky & Telescope building at 49 Bay State Road for the
new AAVSO Headquarters. In addition, he discovered several variable stars while researching in the Harvard
College Observatory plate stacks.