Twenty-Five Years of Leadership

The Director looks back

Twenty-five years ago the Council elected a young astronomer who was Margaret Mayall’s assistant as its next Director and Margaret passed on the torch of the AAVSO to me in November 1973. I had recently gotten married to an AAVSO member whom I met at an AAVSO meeting in Nantucket while I was Dorrit Hoffleit's summer assistant. I was and continue to be very enthusiastic, and dedicated to the goals of the Association.

November, 1973: Margaret Mayall, director of the AAVSO from 1949 to 1973, gives the key to Headquarters to Janet Mattei.

As I contemplate the challenges and progress over the past 25 years, I want to focus on three areas.

1. AAVSO Headquarters

When I first became director, we were in a small rented office on the ground floor of an apartment building at 187 Concord Avenue. Today, thanks to the generosity of Clint Ford, we have our own Headquarters and we have become the world’s largest variable star observer association.

2. Observations

In 1973, 373 observers reported 121,089 observations from 19 countries and 43 states. In 1998, 570 observers have reported 323,061 observations from 38 countries and 38 states.

The grand total of our observations in 1973 was 3,246,739. In 1998 it is 9,176,383.

In 1973 we had boxes and boxes of computer cards, keypunch machines, and sorters to prepare our data for processing. We had no computer of our own and we were processing the data from early 1970s at Harvard College Observatory using the computers there, thanks to a small grant through Owen Gingerich. Today we have our own computers with terminals at each staff person’s desk, all networked to a server that houses our 9 million observations.

In 1973, we were handplotting the incoming data directly from the monthly reports onto graph paper in order to obtain light curves on each star. Today, the incoming observations are digitized as they come in, and processed and archived by the middle of the month following their receipt. Light curves are completely computerized and the light curve of any star in the our program can be obtained within a minute at couple of strokes of our fingertips.

In 1973, only copies of our handplotted light curves were distributed. Our light curves are now on line and accessible through our website.

3. Services to Astronomy

In 1973, we had 12 requests from astronomers for our data. This year we had 224 direct requests, with many other downloads of data directly from our website. In the past 25 years we have provided data and information for 4,057 requests.

In 1973, there were no satellites to which we contributed our service. In the past 25 years we have have provided vital services to 18 space satellites that have observed variable stars.

In 1973, we were helping students and teachers with their science projects but we had no formal educational program. In 1998 we have an exciting and innovative educational program.

Today we are connected to the world through the Internet. We have an informative, interesting, and extensive website.

In 1973, our observers were using blueprint standard charts; today the charts are downloaded from our website.

It has been an exciting 25 years. I thank Dorrit Hoffleit for having me as her summer assistant, and I thank all of you for your support through all these years. The young, rather inexperienced woman is older and much wiser now. Together we have brought the AAVSO to what it is today. There is a lot to do still and I look forward to achieving it together.
—Janet

A surprised Janet Mattei responds to her staff's and the Association's gift of a pair of star-shaped diamond earrings in celebration of her 25th anniversary as AAVSO Directory. (l-r) Grant Foster, Lynn Anderson (partly hidden), AAVSO President Gary Walker (partly hidden), Gamze Menali, Janet, Rebecca Pellock, Kerriann Malatesta, Mike Saladyga.