11 replies to this topic

[JWBriggs]

Hi Folks--

 

Mark Sproul and I are very grateful to have discovered helpful information on Cloudy Nights regarding the highly respected mirror maker, Richard A. Fagin of Summit Instruments in Florida.  Richard was also a viola player in the Palm Beach Symphony Orchestra.  He got his start in mirror making at Adler Planetarium, and he was 31 years old in November of 1988. See:

https://www.latimes....-598-story.html

 

Richard was also the person who first suggested establishing the now-long-running Winter Star Party in Florida:

https://www.explores...3HLu4kuheeWlGLf

 

A factoid that we can add to history related to Mr. Fagin is that he was the optician responsible for modifying the iconic 18 1/2-inch Cave Astrola telescope that had been made for Henry Clay Gibson (1885-1997).  Many readers will know the grand instrument from the Cave Astrola catalogues.  Gibson lived in Florida in his final years, but he had long been a member of the Rittenhouse Astronomical Society in Philadelphia.

https://www.rittenho...ety.org/history

 

Gibson donated a two-dome observatory housing the 18 1/2-inch and an unusual early 10-inch apochromatic refractor by Perkin Elmer to the University of Miami.  The University eventually decided to move the telescopes and domes to its campus, including a conversion of the 18 1/2-inch around that time into a Newtonian-Cassegrainian of shorter primary focal length.  In 2024, the 18 1/2-inch was transferred to Mark Sproul.

 

Mark and I wonder if the 18 1/2-inch mirror might be the largest known mirror figured by Mr. Fagin.  Thanks to comments recorded here on Cloudy Nights, we've learned that Fagin was highly regarded as an optician.  We understand that he closed his optical shop after it was damaged by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.  If anyone has information about Mr. Fagin's later activities, many readers here have been interested to learn more. 

 

--John W. Briggs. 

 

Edited by JWBriggs, 05 September 2024 - 02:59 PM.

[deSitter]

Hi Folks--

 

Mark Sproul and I are very grateful to have discovered helpful information on Cloudy Nights regarding the highly respected mirror maker, Richard A. Fagin of Summit Instruments in Florida.  Richard was also a viola player in the Palm Beach Symphony Orchestra.  He got his start in mirror making at Adler Planetarium, and he was 31 years old in November of 1988. See:

https://www.latimes....-598-story.html

 

Richard was also the person who first suggested establishing the now-long-running Winter Star Party in Florida:

https://www.explores...3HLu4kuheeWlGLf

 

A factoid that we can add to history related to Mr. Fagin is that he was the optician responsible for modifying the iconic 18 1/2-inch Cave Astrola telescope that had been made for Henry Clay Gibson (1885-1997).  Many readers will know the grand instrument from the Cave Astrola catalogues.  Gibson lived in Florida in his final years, but he had long been a member of the Rittenhouse Astronomical Society in Philadelphia.

https://www.rittenho...ety.org/history

 

Gibson donated a two-dome observatory housing the 18 1/2-inch and an unusual early 10-inch apochromatic refractor by Perkin Elmer to the University of Miami.  The University eventually decided to move the telescopes and domes to its campus, including a conversion of the 18 1/2-inch around that time into a Newtonian-Cassegrainian of shorter primary focal length.  In 2024, the 18 1/2-inch was transferred to Mark Sproul.

 

Mark and I wonder if the 18 1/2-inch mirror might be the largest known mirror figured by Mr. Fagin.  Thanks to comments recorded here on Cloudy Nights, we've learned that Fagin was highly regarded as an optician.  We understand that he closed his optical shop after it was damaged by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.  If anyone has information about Mr. Fagin's later activities, many readers here have been interested to learn more. 

 

--John W. Briggs. 

 

Scopezilla! I wondered if even one example existed!!

 

-drl

[NinePlanets]

I don't have later activities, but I do have earlier ones. I took these photos of a Richard Fagin of Chicago at the National Amateur Astronomers Convention in Boulder in August of 1977 with my trusty Kodak 110 Pocket Camera. He gave me his business card (printed on photographic paper, as I recall) regarding his custom telescope making business. Pictured is a wooden Cassegrain he brought. I'm pretty sure the blue tube is one of his too. The pretty lady was also his.

 

He did good. I wonder if he knew then that he would go that far? Obviously had the telescope bug in his blood.

Attached Thumbnails

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Edited by NinePlanets, 05 September 2024 - 05:07 PM.

[JWBriggs]

Hi NinePlanets--

 

It's really great having images of Mr. Fagin!  Thank you,

 

--JWB.

[tim53]

It still amazes me when I saw Gibson's birth and death dates.  109 years old!

 

Tom Terleski posted info about this telescope on his Astrola website:  http://www.cave-astr...opes/index.html

 bottom of page.

 

The other 18"  (built as a Cassegrain - the only one) was still in use last time I found it.  I thought it was at Kansas State University, but I'm not having any luck locating the website I'd found years back.

 

-Tim.

[NinePlanets]

Hi NinePlanets--

 

It's really great having images of Mr. Fagin!  Thank you,

 

--JWB.

In your original post you refer to Mr. Fagin in the past tense. Is he no longer with us?

[msc8]

In your original post you refer to Mr. Fagin in the past tense. Is he no longer with us?

Hope not.  Made my first mirror with him when he ran a small shop and also ran classes.  I do remember him making some large relatively fast and thin mirrors (for the times) back then mid 70s maybe?  I would say 18" 2" think was the biggest I saw.

[Kasmos]

It still amazes me when I saw Gibson's birth and death dates.  109 years old!

 

Tom Terleski posted info about this telescope on his Astrola website:  http://www.cave-astr...opes/index.html

 bottom of page.

 

The other 18"  (built as a Cassegrain - the only one) was still in use last time I found it.  I thought it was at Kansas State University, but I'm not having any luck locating the website I'd found years back.

 

-Tim.

Yes, I believe it was KSU. I remember that scope and had the website bookmarked,

but it turns out it must have been on my old computer that died.   

They had some of it dismantled and on a table. 

A brass 4" Mogey and a 60mm Towa as guide scopes.

 

Since I'd never seen one with a Astrola badge, the only photo I saved from that site was the badge on the 60mm. 

I used this image do do a Google search and it brought me back to an old post I made on Cloudy Nights.

That probably means the site is gone.

Edited by Kasmos, 12 September 2024 - 01:40 AM.

[JWBriggs]

Hi Folks--

 

Earlier in the thread, I made a dumb typo in the lifetime dates for Henry Clay Gibson (1885-1987), who lived to be 101.  Here's a source:

 

https://www.findagra...nry-clay-gibson

 

But he was nevertheless around a very long time!

 

I'm afraid from info I heard verbally from someone who knew him that, given the nature illness mentioned, Mr. Fagin is probably no longer with us.  But I'm not sure.

 

--John W. Briggs.

[Jeff B1]

Richard lived quite close to me in the 1970's in Cutler Ridge, FL.  He made my 12.5" f/30 Cass and 12.5" f/7 Newt back then.  I still have the Newt and he also refigured my 6" f/4 that I still use now.  It is the closest perfect mirror I have ever used.  After Andrew he just dropped out of astronomy, and I lost track of him.  Last time I saw him was at Don Parker's house, but I forget the year -- maybe in the mid to late 1980's.

Edited by Jeff B1, 17 September 2024 - 07:26 AM.

[Vic Menard]

...If anyone has information about Mr. Fagin's later activities, many readers here have been interested to learn more. 

March 1987 S&T, Gleanings for ATMs.

Richard ground and polished my 16-inch and Tom Clark's 20-inch mirrors for our lightweight fork-mounted Newtonians. If I recall correctly, Richard made a few more 20-inch mirror's for Tectron Telescopes, but Galaxy Optics made the majority of the 20- and 25-inch mirrors that ended up in the Tectron Dobsonians of that era.

[bjkaras]

Hi Folks--

 

Mark Sproul and I are very grateful to have discovered helpful information on Cloudy Nights regarding the highly respected mirror maker, Richard A. Fagin of Summit Instruments in Florida.  Richard was also a viola player in the Palm Beach Symphony Orchestra.  He got his start in mirror making at Adler Planetarium, and he was 31 years old in November of 1988. See:

https://www.latimes....-598-story.html

 

Richard was also the person who first suggested establishing the now-long-running Winter Star Party in Florida:

https://www.explores...3HLu4kuheeWlGLf

 

A factoid that we can add to history related to Mr. Fagin is that he was the optician responsible for modifying the iconic 18 1/2-inch Cave Astrola telescope that had been made for Henry Clay Gibson (1885-1997).  Many readers will know the grand instrument from the Cave Astrola catalogues.  Gibson lived in Florida in his final years, but he had long been a member of the Rittenhouse Astronomical Society in Philadelphia.

https://www.rittenho...ety.org/history

 

Gibson donated a two-dome observatory housing the 18 1/2-inch and an unusual early 10-inch apochromatic refractor by Perkin Elmer to the University of Miami.  The University eventually decided to move the telescopes and domes to its campus, including a conversion of the 18 1/2-inch around that time into a Newtonian-Cassegrainian of shorter primary focal length.  In 2024, the 18 1/2-inch was transferred to Mark Sproul.

 

Mark and I wonder if the 18 1/2-inch mirror might be the largest known mirror figured by Mr. Fagin.  Thanks to comments recorded here on Cloudy Nights, we've learned that Fagin was highly regarded as an optician.  We understand that he closed his optical shop after it was damaged by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.  If anyone has information about Mr. Fagin's later activities, many readers here have been interested to learn more. 

 

--John W. Briggs. 

 

I remember seeing that in the catalog, and drooling over it. I always wondered how many of those he made, or if he even made any at all. I assumed at the time any of those went to a university or someplace like that.