[SJAAboard] Paul Barton: Rememberance and Acknowledgement

[Jim Van Nuland]

Peter Natscher wrote:
 > I never met Paul, but your story makes me feel your, and everyone
 > else¹s, loss.  He sounds like a wonderful person.  He will be
 > missed.

   He will, indeed!  Mark and Rich have written about his generosity 
and helpfulness.  I can attest to that, even add a few paragraphs.

   Paul was in the Army Air Force during WW2, never left the US, but 
trained many pilots who went out and put their lives on the line for 
us back home.  Not all of them came back.

   By training, Paul was an electrical engineer, though much of his 
working career he was a machinist, usually the shop supervisor.  My 
telescope (and many others) benefited from his skill and his 
well-equipped home wood and metal shop.  The feet on my 8-inch mount 
were modified in his shop.  But I did the work!  Among his many jobs, 
Paul had been a wood and metal shop teacher at a high-school.  When we 
did those feet, he put on that old hat, and taught me the use of the 
vertical drill press and proper use of bits and taps.

   When I put digital setting circles on my mount, some gearing was 
needed to drive the shaft encoders.  More work mostly by me, taught by 
Paul.  I needed to drill a very accurate hole in the end of the RA 
shaft.  That's a lathe job, involving the 4-jaw chuck, dial indicator, 
steady rest, and tailstock chuck.  He would have done the work in half 
the time, but instead he "taught me to fish".  So I can fish up a bit 
of lathe work when needed.

   Paul was a telescope maker at an early age.  He showed me a 
snapshot of a young man making a mirror by the time-honored "walking 
around the barrel", but it was a tree stump of suitable height.  Along 
the bottom was printed "Yosemite, 1930".  It was Paul at age about 14. 
He said that he does not remember the picture taking, but it was his 
first telescope, a 6-incher, and it gave good images and moved well.

   Paul lived and worked in the Park for some years, in charge of 
(among other things) the telephone wires to the high areas.  Each year 
he'd ride the lines, replacing what had been pulled down by the winter 
ice and snow.  And if you've hiked the trail from Glacier Point to the 
valley, you've benefited from his work.

   SJAA had some loaner telescopes when I joined in early 1973.  The 
scopes were tucked away in various member's garages, passed along when 
someone need the space.  The scopes weren't a secret, but there was no 
regular mention of them.  When they were passed to Paul Barton, he did 
not merely store them, but made it his business to turn telescope 
"stuff" into a living, useful, loaner program.  He sorted, repaired, 
combined, tested, and sometimes discarded.  He assigned numbers to the 
scopes, took pictures, wrote descriptions, and most of all, published 
the list in the newsletter.  He'd take some time in the evening with 
each borrower, teaching how to use the scope.

   Lady -- a golden cocker spaniel -- was Paul's best non-human friend 
and constant companion for some years.  She was with Paul at school 
star parties, and made friends with all the kids.  She was a master at 
teaching very young children not to fear dogs (or at least, small dogs 
who could impersonate their stuffed toy dogs).  At the suggestion of 
SJAA President Thom Ahl, she was awarded a medal with the title 
"SJAA's Ambassador of Good Will".  She wore it proudly on her collar, 
along with the usual dog tags.

   At Coe Park, Paul was looking around in the micro-museum that was 
in the park office.  A docent pointed out that dogs were required to 
be on a leash.  Paul stepped to the left, Lady stepped left.  Paul 
turned to another display, Lady turned to another display.  Ranger 
Barry watched, and commented "That dog is already on a leash!"

   Paul's house was also home to a cat or two, including an elderly 
female named Poo Kitty.  He doted on his pets, and they would wake him 
if he was late with their breakfast.  One day he mentioned that Poo 
Kitty would stand on his chest and meow in his face for breakfast.  I 
commended him on his patience with the animals.  He replied, "Well, 
I'm not so sure about that ... last week, I cancelled her contract!"

   Did everyone know that Paul was an expert goldsmith?  He ran a 
business out of his house for many years, though he always had a 
regular day job, too.  He'd closed his business, but all his friends 
(did he ever have an enemy?) knew of his skill at gold and lost-wax 
casting, so he kept his shop stocked with supplies.

    My late wife Florence's engagement ring broke a clip, and had worn 
thin on one side so it needed repairs.  Of course I called Paul, and 
of course, his reply was "Come on over!"  We did.  Florence and Paul 
sat going through the various ring wax molds, with Paul tossing out 
ideas and sketches.  Soon they converged on a rose, and Paul cast the 
ring and set the stone down among the petals.  She liked it better 
than ever.

   About 15 years later, the band cracked at the side opposite the 
mount.  Paul looked it and said "Did I made this ring?  It looks like 
my work."  He got out the gold solder and fixed it, calling it 
warranty work.  Later he made a birthstone ring for her, using the 
remaining wax that matched the engagement ring.  He even faceted the 
peridot.

   Paul was a regular at our school star parties, and loved every 
minute of it.  The old teacher was in his glory, teaching the kids to 
use the control pad to fly across the face of the moon.

   In later years, Paul's eyesight was getting bad, and he had trouble 
driving at night, specifically, reading street signs.  So we would go 
to school star parties with him following me there and back.  But 
eventually that wasn't enough, he'd developed other health problems, 
and we saw less and less of him.  But when I called or went to his 
house, he had old friends around, and was enjoying life.

Good-by, old friend.  Rest in peace.
-- 
Jim Van Nuland, San Jose (California) Astronomical Association
<http://www.sjaa.net/school/indexs.htm> School star party site