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Former Assistant Supervisor of Large Optics Fabrication StewardObservatory Mirror Laboratory I have been interested in astronomy virtually my whole life, starting with grinding and polishing a six inch Edmund mirror back in the early '60's. Given the times, and my family traditions, I opted for a [url=#]military[/url] career that lasted a total of thirty years. During those years my association with the hobby was limited to reading and looking at pictures.Uponmy retirement from the Army I did the typical Law Enforcement [url=#]track[/url]. It only took a year with the Sheriff's Department to realize that I just didn't want to carry a gun anymore. While looking around for a challenging alternative I ran across an ad for a “Mechanition” (Read Gofor) at the Steward Observatory Mirror Lab. I was intrigued and applied for the position. I was promptly told that I was over-qualified. They felt that with my intensive experience as a [url=#]retired[/url] Army Green Beret, with a Law Enforcement stint, and a BS from Northern Arizona University, that I would become quickly bored and move on. SinceI had virtually no experience in optics of ANY size, I argued that I could not possibly be over-qualified. My love for the science and desire to work in such a prestigious institution in ANY capacity would more than make up for what I lacked in direct experience. Still, I was told that I was over-qualified. I was finally ready to give up but asked one thing before I went away. I would stop bugging, but I wanted the answer in person. In what was, I am sure, an [url=#]act[/url] of desperation, I was given an interview. I met with the Mirror Lab Manager on a typical summer morning and began my tour and interview. It was clear that the answer was not going to change, but decorum dictated that I be treated as a serious candidate. I learned that the position was generally filled by an Op/Sci undergrad; far from my age of fifty five, and worldly experiences. In any [url=#]case[/url], the Manager lead me through the lab where I encountered the second 8.4 meter mirror destined for the LBT in Arizona. As we passed the mirror located on the giant test tower, I touched the edge of the monster mirror and smiled. This apparently piqued the Manager's curiosity and he asked what I was thinking. I responded that this was not a telescope, it was a time machine. One that would reach billions of years into our past, perhaps to the origin of the universe. That comment got me the job! |
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Thank you for sharing your story. Interesting |