Obit: Jack Horkheimer, Star Gazer

Subject: Obit: Jack Horkheimer, Star Gazer
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 23 Aug 10 - 06:59 AM

My local newspaper reported that Jack Horkheimer, host of the PBS "Star Gazer" has died, Friday 20 August 2010 at age 72.

Jack was director of the Miami Museum of Science and Space Transit Planetarium for more than 35 years, and popularized "naked eye astronomy" in the PBS series.

The article was quite brief, but I'm sure many here will remember him, and his friendly advice to "Keep Looking UP."

John

Subject: RE: Obit: Jack Horkheimer, Star Gazer
From: clueless don
Date: 23 Aug 10 - 08:58 AM

His show did more than anything else to make me aware of the night sky. I first watched it as the just-before-sign-off spot on Maryland Public Television, and more recently at the jackstargazer website, which includes a link to the current week's show on YouTube.

I am aware that some serious astronomy students did not care for his show, or his style. But it worked for me. RIP!

Don

Subject: RE: Obit: Jack Horkheimer, Star Gazer
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Aug 10 - 09:23 AM

I used to love those little 5 minute star blurbs on my PBS station on a funky station in Central Texas. He's do a kind of waddle up that pre-CGI path and then share his information.

SRS

Subject: RE: Obit: Jack Horkheimer, Star Gazer
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Aug 10 - 09:26 AM

Jack Horkheimer obit.

Subject: RE: Obit: Jack Horkheimer, Star Gazer
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 23 Aug 10 - 11:22 AM

Oh no! He seemed like a sweet guy.

"Just remember: keep looking up!"

and there he'll be...

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: Obit: Jack Horkheimer, Star Gazer
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 23 Aug 10 - 11:31 AM

According to Sky and Telescope magazine (online), he had written his own epitaph:

"Keep Looking Up was my life's admonition,
I can do little else in my present position."

The epitome of "infectious enthusiasm".

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: Obit: Jack Horkheimer, Star Gazer
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 23 Aug 10 - 11:58 AM

Great guy, fabulous toupee. I loved his bits on late night tv in the 80s.

Subject: RE: Obit: Jack Horkheimer, Star Gazer
From: wysiwyg
Date: 23 Aug 10 - 12:55 PM

DEAR man!

~S~

Subject: RE: Obit: Jack Horkheimer, Star Gazer
From: katlaughing
Date: 23 Aug 10 - 01:34 PM

Becky, thanks for posting that!

We've always loved the bits they played of him on NPR. Sorry to hear he is gone.

Subject: RE: Obit: Jack Horkheimer, Star Gazer
From: Don Firth
Date: 23 Aug 10 - 01:51 PM

I've been an astronomy bug ever since my Dad used to carry me out in the back yard when I was a rug rat and point out constellations to me. I remember he'd point out the Big Dipper, and I'd be looking so hard that my eyes practically popped out and I really couldn't see it. Then came the sudden realization that this was essentially a game of "connect the dots," and suddenly, there it was!

Took a few astronomy classes in college and even got in some telescope time. Looking at Saturn, complete with rings—the real thing, not just a photograph—as a real blast!

I understand that Jack Horkheimer was not really an ordained and annointed astronomer, but was an avid amateur astronomer and was executive director of the Miami Planetarium.

Watching his little 5-minute programs on my local PBS affiliate late in the evening reminded me very much of the times Dad would take me out into the back yard on a summer evening and point out the constellations.

Yep. Keep looking up!

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Obit: Jack Horkheimer, Star Gazer
From: gnu
Date: 23 Aug 10 - 03:51 PM

That epitaph is golden, just like him. RIP

Subject: RE: Obit: Jack Horkheimer, Star Gazer
From: open mike
Date: 23 Aug 10 - 07:07 PM

I hope he got to see the Perseid Meteor shower last week!

Subject: RE: Obit: Jack Horkheimer, Star Gazer
From: Donuel
Date: 23 Aug 10 - 08:27 PM

Jack always made me smile with his style that was similar to a piano bar entertainer at a Comfort Inn. Sure his delivery was cheesy but his excitment was contagious and much anticipated.

"I wish I had a pencil thin mustache..."

Subject: RE: Obit: Jack Horkheimer, Star Gazer
From: Slag
Date: 24 Aug 10 - 03:42 PM

How sad. I remember Jack from the 80's and onward. He followed Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and preceded "sign-off" when TV stations actually signed off the air! I've been a nightowl my entire life ( I think I was born on the wrong side of the world ) and have always had an intense interest in astronomy and greatly apprciated Jack's encouragements to stargazers, backyard astronomers and any lucky soul fortunate enough to be awake when he came on to do his couple of minutes for the sake of the first science, the pure science of astronomy. I hope they can at least name an asterism for Jack. He deserves it.

Subject: RE: Obit: Jack Horkheimer, Star Gazer
From: ranger1
Date: 24 Aug 10 - 06:54 PM

I'll miss "Grretings, greetings, fellow stargazers". J-boy and I would giggle, and usually end up learning something neat.

Subject: RE: Obit: Jack Horkheimer, Star Gazer
From: J-boy
Date: 25 Aug 10 - 01:24 AM

Asteroid Horkheimer.Yes, somebody should make it so.

Subject: RE: Obit: Jack Horkheimer, Star Gazer
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 25 Aug 10 - 11:29 AM

Wikipedia:

11409 Horkheimer (1999 FD9) is a main-belt asteroid discovered March 19, 1999 by the Lowell Observatory Near-Earth Object Search at the Anderson Mesa Station. It is named in honor of Jack F. Horkheimer (b. 1938 d. 2010), former executive director of the Miami Space-Transit Planetarium, who is best known as the creator and host of the television program Jack Horkheimer: Star Gazer.

~ Becky in Tucson
where there are a lot of astronomers

Subject: RE: Obit: Jack Horkheimer, Star Gazer
From: GUEST,josep
Date: 25 Aug 10 - 07:21 PM

I liked the theme music--Isao Tomita's analog synth version of "Clair de Lune."

Subject: RE: Obit: Jack Horkheimer, Star Gazer
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Aug 10 - 07:54 PM

Becky, my son is going to the U of AZ now. I left him there last week. I hope he gets up to Kitt Peak to take a look. So many great things to do out there.

SRS

Subject: RE: Obit: Jack Horkheimer, Star Gazer
From: Don Firth
Date: 25 Aug 10 - 08:05 PM

Um . . . actually, the theme music is Tomita's synthsizer recording of Debussy's "Snowflakes are Dancing."

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Obit: Jack Horkheimer, Star Gazer
From: Don Firth
Date: 25 Aug 10 - 08:22 PM

Sorry! Not "Snowflakes are Dancing." That's the name of the one of Tomita's first LP albums. The piece is actually "Arabesque No. 1."

I first encountered Tomita's synthesizer music when I was working as an announcer at a classical music radio station in the very early 1970s.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Obit: Jack Horkheimer, Star Gazer
From: Don Firth
Date: 25 Aug 10 - 08:26 PM

Here ya go:    CLICKY.

Don Firth