Albert Whitford, eminent astronomer, dies at 96

Wisconsin-born Albert E. Whitford, an acclaimed astronomer and former director of the Washburn Observatory, died March 28. He was 96.

Whitford died at Meriter Health Center in Madison after a short illness.

“He was a very important figure in American astronomy and at Lick Observatory,” says Donald Osterbrock, professor emeritus of astronomy and astrophysics at UCSC and a close friend of Whitford. “He did a tremendous amount of excellent observational research, chiefly on the structure of our Galaxy, and was a leader of American astronomy for many years.”

Born in 1905 in Milton, Wis., Whitford received a B.A. from Milton College and an M.A. and Ph.D. in physics from the University of Wisconsin. After a postdoctoral fellowship at Mt. Wilson Observatory in California, he joined the astronomy faculty at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He worked at Wisconsin’s Washburn Observatory for 23 years, serving as its director from 1948 through 1958.

As director of the Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton from 1958-68, Whitford oversaw the completion of the 3-meter (120-inch) Shane Telescope in 1959, the observatory’s premier research instrument. At the time, it was the second largest telescope in the world, and it is still a highly productive instrument.

Whitford is best known for his pioneering work in photoelectric photometry, which began with Joel Stebbins at UW–Madison. Trained in laboratory physics, Whitford greatly improved the sensitivity of photometers. This led to the first precise measurements of the magnitudes and colors of many faint stars, clusters, and galaxies.

Whitford played a key role in the growth of U.S. astronomy, presiding over several national commissions on astronomical research. After resigning from the Lick Observatory directorship in 1968, Whitford returned to full-time research and teaching. Whitford lived in Santa Cruz until 1996, when he returned to Madison. There he continued his active interest in research from an office in the university’s Astronomy Department until October 2001.

A memorial service will be held Sunday, April 14, at 1 p.m. in the auditorium of the Meriter Health Center in Madison. Contributions in Whitford’s memory may be sent to Lick Observatory, Office of the Director, UCO/Lick Observatory, University of California, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz, CA 95064.