Shoreline Amateur Astronomical Association

Larry’s interest in astronomy goes back to the early 1960’s when he ground a 6-inch telescope mirror. Since that time he has observed with many scopes including a 8-inch Orion telescope, a home built a 10-inch dobsonian telescope, and currently his 14 inch truss Tscope. His greatest interest is introducing people to the world of astronomy. Larry joined the SAAA in 2000 to further indulge his love for astronomy. He has served as Secretary of SAAA from 2001 to 2005.

A charter member of the SAAA, Mark has held every possible club office. Currently, he is serving as Treasurer for 2006-2008 term. He is a holder of the official Honorary Messier Certificate, and unofficial SEDS Messier Certificate.

A long-time member of the SAAA, Peter has held various club duties, including Vice-President and President. He is currently serving as Member-at-Large for the 2007-2008 term. He has been interested in astronomy since the 1960’s. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Peter has taught Astronomy at Fennville High School since 1981. He also teaches a graduate class in astronomy activities for teachers at Western Michigan University. For observing, Peter uses 10×50 binoculars as well as a 10-inch Dobsonian named “Bruiser” that he built under the tutelage of John Dobson himself. He considers himself fortunate that he has met people such as John Dobson, Jim Lovell (can you say Apollo 13?), and Carl Sagan. Peter is a holder of the official Honorary Messier Certificate, and unofficial SEDS Messier Certificate.
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Jim has been facinated with astronomy all his life, but until joining the SAAA in January 2004, never pursued it as a hobby. He is presently learning the locations of many deep sky objects and is actively working towards a Messier certificate, with desires to complete Caldwell and Herschel 500 programs in coming years. Jim studies the night sky with a pair of Barska 15×70 binoculars, an Orion 8″ SkyQuest and a Meade LXD75 10″ Schmidt-Newtonion reflector. He has served as vice-president from 2005-2006, and club president from 2007-2008, and is the current club president for 2009-2010. Jim is a member of the Planetary Society. Like many in the club, Jim is passionate about astronomy and eager to share his interest with others.