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Griffin Yeatman Award The winner of the 2006 Griffin Yeatman Award was another one of Cincinnati's outstanding volunteer ventures that has grown to enrich both the cultural and the educational experiences of the community.
The Cincinnati Observatory Center (COC), located on the edge of Ault Park in Mt. Lookout, seemed like an easy choice on paper. However, the paper nomination could not even begin to fully describe the activities and developments occurring at the Observatory. The Observatory was established in 1842 and, within a few years, began the work for which it is now famous: stellar proper motion studies that tracked the position of stars in the sky, which became the basis of the celestial address system used by modern aeronautics and astronautics. In the 1980's, the owner of the Observatory, the University of Cincinnati, decided to sell the Observatory and erect high-rise condominiums on the spot. A public outcry ensued, and local amateur astronomers and neighbors to the Observatory formed the COC to save the land and facilities. In a short amount of time, the COC raised over $2.5 million and, in 1999, took control of the Observatory. They then restored the telescopes, grounds and two buildings on campus to their original condition. Currently, the Observatory is being converted to an astronomical museum. It hosts over 20,000 visitors a year and was recently designated a National Historic Landmark. This, however, represents what the Observatory has done in the past. What it is doing now and what it plans to do in the future is even more exciting. To learn more about the Observatory as it is today and the classes, lectures and community activities planned for the next year, please visit the Observatory's website at http://www.cincinnatiobservatory.org. For a list of previous winners, please click here. |
