It is my pleasure to post the following message from our Education Director, Dr. Chuck Larson. This is simply another of the myriad ways in which Dr. Larson continuously promotes AOAS at every opportunity.

This is the report given by Dr. Larson to the Ft Smith Public Awareness Committee, Inc on Thursday, December 2nd. I offer this to everyone who visits our site as yet another example of our desire to become the best we can be for our educational outreach efforts.


Arkansas Oklahoma Astronomical Society (AOAS)
Report to
Fort Smith Public Awareness Committee, Inc.
December 2, 2004

The Arkansas Oklahoma Astronomical Society will hold its annual election of officers for 2005 at its regular pot-luck Christmas dinner meeting, on December 17, 2004, in the Creekmore Park Community Center. AOAS has been continually meeting at this facility on the third Friday's of the month for the past 19 years. The organization will celebrate its 20th anniversary on January 15, 2005. The opportunity has now come for changes in meeting days and location. Beginning with the first meeting on February 4, 2005, all regular meetings of the Arkansas Oklahoma Astronomical Society will be held at the Fort Smith River Park building beside the Arkansas River in downtown Fort Smith. With the recent growth of several new members joining AOAS, this change will provide us with more space and additional parking for all those who wish to attend the meetings. The other change made for 2005 will be that our meetings are now scheduled for the first Friday of every other month. Meeting dates for 2005 are: February 4, April 1, June 3, August 5, October 7, and December 2.

Activities for the organization have continued to expand. AOAS will continue its partnership with the Fort Smith Public Parks District throughout 2005. A "Saturn in the Park" program will be offered on the following Saturdays: February 12, March 19, April 16, and May 14. A "Stars in the Park" program will be offered on the following Saturdays: June 11, July 9, August 6, September 3, and October 1. All of these programs will begin at dusk, weather conditions permitting, and will be held at Carol Ann Cross Park in Fort Smith. All programs are FREE and open to the public.

Major construction at the Coleman Observatory site, northwest of Van Buren, AR, has been completed for this year and the facility is being used extensively by all those interested in astronomy. This summer, AOAS worked closely with John Brown University, supporting their offering of an astronomy course in Fort Smith. Those enrolled in the course were able to use the Coleman Observatory equipment and site for evening observations. AOAS, as part of its educational mission, has been consulting with the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith physics faculty to develop a close working relationship for their astronomy courses and programs. Efforts are also underway to continue to provide educational assistance to area public schools, in both Arkansas and Oklahoma, with the UA Fort Smith science programs that include astronomy.

In relationship to our previously mentioned educational endeavors, AOAS is continuing its membership with the Night Sky Network, an educational outreach program sponsored by NASA (National Aeronautic and Space Administration) and JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and administered by the ASP (Astronomical Society of the Pacific). The purpose of the NSN program and AOAS as well, is to make public observing nights available to the public and area school programs, and to introduce the night sky to everyone interested in astronomy. AOAS will also continue its membership in the Astronomical League, an association of more than 200 member societies that all have the same mission - to promote the science of astronomy.

The Arkansas Oklahoma Astronomical Society also stands ready, willing, and able to assist any governmental, public and private business organization, and individuals, who share our concern about the growing problem of light pollution of the night skies all across our nation. There are many simple cost saving measures and other means of controlling this problem for anyone willing to look at the solutions to this matter.

In November of 2004, AOAS was also honored by Col. Bill Strang, former commanding officer of the 188th TFG in Fort Smith, and CO of the 188th at the time of Maj. Doug Coleman and Capt. Richard Lumpkin's F-4 crash in 1987. Col. Strang mentioned a memorial tribute written by Bob Moody, President of AOAS, to Maj. Doug Coleman who was a former member of AOAS, contained in the 50th Anniversary Yearbook of the 188th. Maj. Doug Coleman's memory will live on as a tribute to his life. The Coleman Observatory site was named in his honor. Bob Moody's tribute to Major Coleman can be found on our organization's web site at www.aoas.org under the “About AOAS” section.

Submitted by
Dr. Chuck Larson
Education Director, AOAS