6/16/11. Time out from stargazing for an homage to Dr. Ed Burke, Jr., of King College. Dr. Burke was the central star of the Bristol Astronomy Club where I learned the ropes of amateur astronomy and met some of my best lifelong friends (hello, GWK!).

Dr. Burke lining up a 3-inch Unitron refractor during the partial phases.

I just got word that Dr. Ed Burke passed away yesterday. These are some photographs I made of Dr. Burke on Prince Edward Island for the total eclipse of the Sun in July 1972. Dr. Burke, Dr. Jack Snider, and machinist Don Pippin hauled their families, three amateur astronomers (Ken Childress, me, and I'll remember the other fellow's name soon -- Marcus Williams!) and a 10-inch trailer-mounted telescope along for the show.

Watching for the flash spectrum to appear using a diffraction
grating and a monocular, seconds before totality.

Dr. Burke is on a ladder operating King's trailer-mounted
10-inch reflector silhouetted by the sky beyond the eclipse. Daughter Julia is
running a 3-inch Unitron refractor at bottom center. The shadow of the Moon
is visible on high cirrus, and totality will be ending in about five seconds.