NERAL Awards

The North Eastern Region of the Astronomical League currently has an Annual Award detailed below

The Walter Scott Houston Annual Award

Walter Scott Houston, known to many as 'Scotty Houston', has inspired many people to become astronomers and amateur astronomers. David Levy, Richard Berry and many other well known pros today listened to him spin tales at Stellafane as he puffed on his pipe. His Deep Sky Wonders column in Sky and Telescope showed amateurs that they could observe faint fuzzies that they may never have even tried to see. Surely, amateur astronomy today would be quite different without his influence both personal and as a professional writer.

His amateur contributions started with forming the Milwaukee Astronomical Society in his youth and publicizing regional newsletters about astronomy. His circles of correspondence helped to later form the Astronomical League. He was an active member of AAVSO and the American Meteor Society. An asteroid &endash; 3031 Houston &endash; was named in his honor. He was a Fellow of the AASW (Amer. Assn. of Science Writers), AIP (Amer. Institute of Physics) and AAAS (Amer. Assn. for the Advancement of Science). He taught navigation in WWII and developed a system of celestial navigation that was used until the advent of LORAN and GPS (Global Positioning System). He also organized a Moonwatch station to monitor satellites.

Here in the Northeast, Scotty is best remembered for his Shadowgram Talks about telescope making at the Saturday evening talks at Stellafane from 1971-1993. He lived in East Haddam, Connecticut during those years and was an inspiration to many as a promoter of the Astronomical League and astronomical research that was always approachable and of good humor.

We are proud to initiate this award in his name, for he was among the Greats in the world of amateur astronomy. His devotion to the League, Stellafane, and his passion for Astronomy make him the perfect choice to personify the qualifications of any NERAL honoree.

---

Winners of the Walter Scott Houston Award

2001: Anna Sudaric Hillier, Historian. Member-at-Large. Member, Boston Amateur Telescope Makers