PKV

Thank you for your support in electing me and allowing me to serve on the AAVSO Council from 2012 to 2014. I am 58 years old, reside in Centerville, OH and am a retired geologist. I have been an AAVSO member since 2001. I observe visually and use remote telescopes for CCD photometry, mainly observing Miras and cataclysmic variables.

I worked with Aaron Price on the AAVSO 2011 Demographic and Background Survey and I generated the worldwide AAVSO Google Maps. I organized and reported on the results of the 2012 AAVSO Strategy and Operations Survey. I also conducted, analyzed and published the results of the AAVSO Professional Survey of 2013.

I am into digital archiving, where old observations in the astronomical literature are captured and entered into the AAVSO AID. I have mainly concentrated on pre-1911 archival observations. So far, I have over 107,000 total archival observations submitted to date. I am most proud to have captured all of the observations of Omi Cet and Khi Cyg going back to their discovery. I view this as a most worthwhile endeavor. I was deeply honored to receive the AAVSO Director's Award in November 2014.

I was glad to have served you on AAVSO Council. I believe in running our organization like a business, with more transparency, accountability and better communication. Our organization has a long way to go in order to achieve these objectives. My fondest wish is that AAVSO members not merely observe, but serve, lead and contribute tirelessly to our organization. Do more than just submit your observations to the AID. Our new Director Stella Kafka will put us on a new and exciting course. Support, volunteer, serve and help lead our organization. Our best days lie ahead.