Jim Van Nuland get "Once in Lifetime Award" Twice!

At the February board meeting, Jim Van Nuland was awarded the Dr. A. B. Gregory Award. The award is given “In Recognition of Outstanding Contributions of Time and Effort to Others in Amateur Astronomy”. It is to be presented only once. Dr. Boris Gregory was a professor of French Literature at San Jose State College. He had a lifetime interest in astronomy, and at his retirement was given one of the earliest C–8 telescopes. Dr. Gregory was president of SJAA for one term, 1973–1974. He was on the Board from antiquity until his death in March 1979, and was especially adept at welcoming newcomers. With years of experience, he was often asked for advice and help, and his answer was typically, “Come over and we’ll work on it”. At board meetings, he was very often the first to say, “I’ll look into that”.

Jim was first given the award back in 1984, in recognition of his 6 years of service as club secretary. Jim also was very active organizing lunar grazes and occultations for the SJAA. He wrote an article monthly in the Ephemeris about the observing events happening at the Calico Observatory, conveniently located in his backyard, mostly focused on the Great Red Spot transit times. Fast forward 23 years. Jim just stepped down as club secretary after 27 years of service. He is the school star party coordinator for the club, a post he has held officially since 1996. The school star party program has grown from a few schools a year to over 30 schools a year. We can confidently say that Jim has shown Saturn to well over 10 thousand students over the years! It is this dedication that the board decided was worthy of a second Gregory. As Gary Mitchell pointed out, you can get more than one Oscar! The award will be presented at the Auction on April 1st.

Jim was the first person nominated for a Gregory Award during my six years of service as President. We have been negligent in recognizing the contributions of many people in this organization. There is currently no mechanism for nominating people, or timeline to do so. Fortunately, Bob Fingerhut, a good friend of Dr. Gregory and who is the originator of the award, has agreed to preside over the nominating committee. Is there someone you feel is worthy of the award (including yourself)? Write up a paragraph and email it to Gregory@sjaa.net or mail it to the club address care of “Gregory Award”. Check out the Gregory Award on the SJAA website for more information on due date for nominations and to see past award winners. Congratulations Jim and thank you for your two lifetimes of service!