Message from the President

It was a little over 20 years ago when I first wandered into AAVSO headquarters looking for light curves for Miras. I found them—many pencil dots on page after page of graph paper—and I still have the xeroxed copies I laboriously produced over several days during that first visit. These are now, of course, obsolete; I can get more, and more usable, data from the web site without leaving my desk in Iowa. An unplanned benefit of this early expedition for data has been the development of much-valued friendship and intellectual partnership with members and staff of the AAVSO. This is an organization I am proud to belong to, and it is an honor and a responsibility to take on the office of president. The presidents who have preceded me have set great examples of leadership, and I hope to continue in the same spirit.

One of the issues we are working on is the revision of the constitution—or, more properly I believe, the by-laws—of the organization. The revision is necessary because both the organization and the general scientific community have changed considerably since the society began. Even in the relatively short time that I have been a member of AAVSO there have been great changes.

I remember my first stint on the AAVSO council—sitting on an odd assortment of chairs around an assembly of card tables near the window on Concord Avenue—worrying about whether the organization would be able to carry on its work within the financial constraints. The basement and files were full of irreplaceable data; upstairs, occupied apartments made the threat of fire or water damage more than a remote possibility. The computerization and dispersion of the data, and the acquisition of our current Headquarters building, removed two sources of worry, and of course the generosity of members including Clint Ford have put the association into a stable financial position.

My first job in astronomy was as a solar observer at the Swedish Astrophysical Station in Capri. (This is also the only time I was employed as an observer.) Though my favorite variable stars today are much farther away, I've retained an interest in this area. What a thrill it was to see the contributions of AAVSO observers to this field recognized and celebrated at the fall meeting on Cape Cod! The after-banquet session featuring the first solar observer awards was beautifully choreographed and a special occasion indeed.

Another event at the fall meeting that I found very exciting, both for its content and because of what it says about the impact of the AAVSO, was the Hands-On Astrophysics workshop. My notes from that session include about three pages of ideas gleaned from the presentations. This program is exposing a large number of people to the science of variable stars, and some of them will probably find their way into careers or lifetime interests in astronomy as a result.

Wishing you all the very best dark skies,
bright stars, and happy holidays,
Lee Anne Willson