МИНИСТЕРСТВО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ И НАУКИ УКРАИНЫ
НАЦИОНАЛЬНЫЙ ЛИНГВИСТИЧЕСКИЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ
Курсовая работа (на английском языке)
Reminiscences of Janet A. Mattei, former directorof the American Associations of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO)
Term paper (in English)
Подготовил:Тимошенко Олег
2-й курс,специальность
English,German, Franch
Киев 2010
Содержание
Introduction: Janet Akyuz Mattei and the Aavso
Janet as a high-energy object
Janet as the boss
Janet as a friend and mother figure
Janet's Turklish
Janet as a force to be reckoned with
Janet as mentor
Beginning her career (1974-1984)
Freed from the past? (1985-1994)
A mature leader (1995-2004)
An unfinished but closed chapter
Introduction: Janet Akyuz Matteiand the Aavso
Janet AkyuzMattei (1943-2004) and the AAVSO were meant to be part of each other's lives.In 1969, Janet was teaching and working towards a Master of Science degree inher native Turkey when she learned about the summer research program under Dr.Dorrit Hoffleit at Maria Mitchell Observatory on Nantucket. That year Janet wasintroduced to variable stars and the AAVSO-and her future husband, MichaelMattei-on Nantucket: variable stars in her research with Dorrit, and Mike andthe AAVSO through its meeting held there in October. A brilliant student andyoung scientist of great promise with an outgoing and enthusiastic personality,Janet was hired as AAVSO Director Margaret Mayall's assistant in 1972. WhenMargaret decided to retire, Janet was selected by the AAVSO Council in October1973 to succeed Margaret as Director, a position she held for over 30 yearsuntil her death on March 22, 2004.
During those 30years Janet worked unceasingly on behalf of the AAVSO, its members andobservers, and those who want to learn about astronomy and variable stars, andto further the field of variable star astronomy. She strove continually toteach the global astronomical and educational communities about the vitalcontributions that amateur astronomers make to variable star astronomy. Overand over again, in her talks she demonstrated how astronomers, educators, andstudents could enhance their research through utilizing the talents of variablestar observers, the fruit of their labors-variable star observations-and theunique resources the AAVSO offered.
Janet workedequally hard to encourage amateur astronomers to participate in variable starobserving and research, to provide means for their learning information andtechniques to enable them to succeed and find enjoyment in variable star work,and to see that they received recognition from the professional community fortheir vital contributions. She also believed firmly in the potential of youngpeople, and supported and encouraged them however she could, including helpingthem explore the excitement of astronomy and scientific research.
Janet's directorshiptook place during times of tremendous challenges and opportunities: the adventof satellite astronomy, the evolution of computer technology that opened up newvistas for communication and data management, instrumentation advances thatgave amateur astronomers access to observing equipment only dreamed of before.Within the AAVSO itself, there were difficult times early in the 1980s, theexciting acquisition of a permanent Headquarters building, significant growthin the size of the staff, exponential growth in the size of the AAVSOInternational Database. Janet rose to these challenges and opportunities,staying flexible and open to new ideas and possibilities while remainingunyielding on the integrity, quality, and reliability of the AAVSO, its database,and its services and programs.
Through Janet'svision and leadership, the AAVSO evolved as the world around it evolved, and ithas prospered. Today's AAVSO-still evolving-participates in cutting-edgevariable star research, offers multiple observing programs to observers, isstrongly involved in education and public outreach, enjoys fruitful workingrelationships with many other variable star organizations around the world, andlooks to the future for exciting new possibilities.
However, AAVSODirector and scientist were only part of who Janet was. She was also spouse,daughter, sister, aunt, niece, cousin, friend, colleague, mentor. She gave ofherself, her time, and her talents, and she felt honored and appreciative whenpeople gave to her. She filled people's lives with joy, excitement, andsatisfaction, and she rejoiced in the happiness and success of others. She toldpeople when she was pleased for them, and perhaps more importantly, when shewas concerned for them, and unfailingly asked-and honestly meant it-if shecould help in any way. We will miss the gracious, caring, and enthusiasticbundle of energy that was Janet, with the smile in her voice, the kind word,the insightful comment, the big picture always in mind.
Janet wasenormously proud of the AAVSO and its members and observers. We were enormouslyproud of Janet, and we are grateful to her for giving herself to the AAVSO withsuch devotion, and for leaving us her personal legacy of striving forexcellence, dedication, and compassion.
A View of JanetMattei, from the Headquarters StaffJanet as a high-energy object
Most of youprobably already know that Janet was a very energetic person. This was true nomatter the time of day, and the early workday morning was no exception. Everyday, like clockwork, Janet would open the door to the office and would call outher energetic and resounding greeting, «Good Morning.» No matter whatwas going on, and even if it hadn't been a great morning thus far, you weresuddenly aware of the burst of positive energy that had just walked through thedoor. You didn't have to see her face to know that she was smiling, it justcame through in her voice. If you had not made eye contact with Janet on herentrance, she was sure to wish you a personal «good morning» upon herinitial contact with you for the day. This was always true for the staffpartitioned off in the library, where her cheerful daily greeting could not beheard. Therefore, a special, «Good Morning, Ladies» was always bid toKate and Gamze. After setting her things in her office and getting her cup forher morning tea, she would always proceed to ask the general question,«How is everyone this morning?» as she crossed the office, genuinelyconcerned about everyone's well-being.
Janet's energylasted throughout the day, and was evident through the distinct sound of herfootsteps. Although Janet was small in stature, her fast and powerful footfallsalways gave her away. They burst with energy, much like Janet herself. Mike andSara, who work downstairs, say they always knew when Janet was walking aboutabove them because her steps were unlike any others.
Janet was alsoknown for working very late at the office, often times staying overnight tofinish a project or prepare for a meeting. Her energetic dedication wasunrivaled. She did whatever it took to get the job done. This devotion not onlyapplied to Janet's in-office work ethic, but it applied outside aswell-literally. One wintry night a terrible winter snow storm had beenforecast. Worried about driving home, Janet decided to stay in a hotel near theoffice. The next morning when Matt arrived at work planning to do some snowremoval, he was stunned to see that Janet had already made the trip back to theoffice and had shoveled the entire walkway out in front of Headquarters-of all24 inches of snow!Janet as the boss
If Janet didn'thave a photographic memory, she had something that was very close to it. Giveher the name of a variable star and she could tell you the specific date,author, and title of an article on a subj ect that you were just«wondering» about. Her internet-like memory was not limited tovariable stars, but also encompassed information about AAVSO members and observers.For instance, there was one time when she was out of the office and calledHeadquarters to find out somebody's phone number. Travis read her the number,to which she replied, «No, that's not right, that's his old number.»Travis, thinking to himself, «how could she possibly know if that is thewrong number with out dialing it, especially when she barely knows thisperson?» went to go find the updated number. Sure enough he found out thatit was indeed the old number and when giving Janet the new one she said,«Yes, this is the right one.»
Janet also hada terrific sense of humor that could often be seen through the unique twinklein her eye and a great child-like grin. Once Travis leaned into her office andasked if she wanted anything from a local store for lunch. She told him thatshe would like «a salad from the salad bar.» So Travis, feeling a bitoverwhelmed by the fact that he had no idea what she liked on her salad, askedher if there was anything in particular she wanted. To this she replied, «ohanything,» and as Travis turned to leave, she added, «and your job isriding on it.» Janet was, of course, smiling like a Cheshire cat whilesaying this. Realizing that he had been the subject of some of Janet's lighthumor, Travis laughed-eventually.
With hercharismatic personality, Janet had a way of pulling people in to listen to whatshe had to say. Often times, she would come out of her office into the«big room» and start talking about something to no one in particular,but by the end of what she was saying, most people were engaged and it hadtransformed into an office-wide discussion. Perhaps it was an unusual method,but it was effective in getting a consensus on a matter, which is probably whatshe was trying to do anyway.
Above all,Janet had an incredible talent for making us all feel that we, and the workthat we were doing, were truly valued. No matter how big or small the task, shealways made sure to give her thanks upon completion of a given duty. Oftentimes she'd suggest going out and having a celebratory dinner in honor ofcompleting a special project. Although the celebrations didn't always happenbecause of busy schedules-Janet, Elizabeth, Margaret Mayall, and Charles Scovilnever got around to the planned steak and champagne dinner celebratingcompletion of the AAVSO Variable Star Atlas (they ended up having crackers fordinner in the office as the last «day» of the project dragged on intothe wee hours of the morning) — the fact that she had suggested a special eventsignified her deep gratitude. Janet's appreciation was also clearly evidentcome payday at the AAVSO. In most offices, paychecks often come from a«Human Resources» department and are distributed without much verbalexchange. At the AAVSO, however, they always came directly from Janet's hand,whereby she was sure to make distinct eye contact while offering a sincere«thank you.»Janet as a friend and mother figure
Janet was morethanjust aboss to us. Sometimes she was a friend and sometimes she was more ofa mother figure. She always cared for each of us individually and no matter howcrazy her schedule got, or what was going on in her life, Janet always tooktime to take a personal interest in our lives and our families.
Genuinelyconcerned about our well-being, Janet always had the uncanny ability to find acure for whatever ailment we had. She knew of certain remedies and woulddispense her knowledge like a sage. Always ready with a hefty supply of VitaminС or Echinacea for anyone who suggested they might be getting sick, Janet alsohad a special fondness for one particular remedy called «Airborne.»If you haven't heard of this stuff you might want to buy stock. Janet spreadthe good word about these immune boosting tablets that prevent one from gettingsick which, as we all know, is much better than getting sick in the firstplace. Her conviction prompted a lot of us to go to our nearest drug store andbuy out their supply (that is, if Janet hadn't already swiped the shelvesclean). Kate admits to keeping two bottles of the stuff at home and wouldn'tthink of stepping foot on an airplane without some in her system.
If she couldnot fend off your ailment, Janet always had a backup plan. Another of hermiracle cures was contained in a mysterious bottle labeled «ChinaOil» that resided in the medicine chest of the ladies room. On separateoccasions and to different people Janet suggested using this stuff to gargleaway a sore throat, to get rid of a cold sore, fight nasal congestion, banish apimple, and to relieve arthritic pain. The scary thing is that it actuallyworked for all these things! Yes, that is China Oil… don't know what it is,don't know why it is. just know that it works!
Janet not onlythought about us when we were ailing, but when we were in good health as well.She was always excited about any special events happening in our lives. Shewould make a point of asking how a particular dinner may have gone, how yourhouse guests were doing, and so on. She was always just as proud and as curiousabout our lives outside of the office. She would happily go to Rebecca andSarah's plays, attend Elizabeth's and Sara's concerts, and whatever else shecould do, in her limited spare time, to show her support. She was truly happywhen good things happened for us, such as when Kerri told Janet that she waspregnant. Overcome with joy, Janet literally jumped out of her chair, clappedher hands, and exclaimed, «I'm so glad you did it!»
Birthdays werealways important dates for Janet. Almough we would have a little officecelebration with cake and a gift for the staff birthday person, Janet wouldalways pull you aside afterwards to give you a special gift that she had gottenfor you personally. Tokens of her generosity are displayed throughout the officeand throughout our homes, and hold a special place in our memories. Perhaps themost memorable birthday present of all was when Janet arranged for a bellydancer to show up at AAVSO volunteer Katherine Hazen 's 80th birthday party atHeadquarters. Aside from stopping passers-by in the window, it was a greatsurprise and delight. Janet certainly knew how to throw excitement into aparty!
Beyond thepersonal relationships with the staff, Janet also forged bonds with ourfamilies. Although our loved ones may have never met Janet, they are well awareof her thoughtfulness through the sweets, flowers, cards, magazines, and morethat she sent home with us. After hearing about how much Kate's family enjoyeda gift of Turkish Delight sent home with her during the holiday season, Janetmade sure to stock Kate up with treats before leaving for her native Atlanta.Usually the gift was a box of Turkish Delight but sometimes it was fresh madeBaklava, which Kate's mother loved. A testament to Janet's generosity occurredin December of 2003 when Janet was at the Spaulding Center for rehabilitation.While Kate was visiting, she told Kate to open up her cabinet and look on thethird shelf. Sure enough, there was a box of Turkish Delight there ready forthe trip to Atlanta for Christmas. In fact, there were boxes for all the staffmembers for the holidays! Kate's family came to know Janet through her gifts,and through correspondence, Janet and Kate's mom formed a relationship. Butthis is not a unique example. This was Janet's typical style — making friendsand forging relationships with almost everyone that she encountered.
Janet's Turklish
As everyoneknows, Janet was born and raised in Turkey. She came to the U. S. in 1962, andmoved here permanently around 1969. She was fluent in both Turkish and English,but because she knew these two languages so well sometimes certain phraseswould come out in-well, not exactly English, and not exactly Turkish, butsomething that we fondly referred to as Turklish. Here are some of our favoriteexpressions that Janet would sometimes use:
Instead ofsaying, «That would be like opening a can of worms» Janet would say,«That would be like opening a bag of worms,''' which we all agree is a bitmore disturbing and graphic than a can, so probably a better expression anyway.
Instead ofsaying, „thinking out loud,“ Janet would sometimes say „talkingout loud,“ which at last check is really the only way to talk.
Instead ofsaying „in the ballpark“ she would say, „in theballpoint“-probably a smaller area than she had in mind, but you get thepicture.
Instead ofsaying, „out of the pan and into the fire“ she would say, „outof the fire and into the pan,“ which could be a worse situation… .
Instead ofsaying, „burning the midnight oil,“ which she often did herself, shewould say „burning the midnight candle.“ This is a splice of»burning the midnight oil" with «burning the candle at bothends.»
Anotherfavorite was when instead of saying, «the squeaky wheel gets the grease»she would say, «squeaky grease!» and she would say it emphatically asin «the nerve of that squeaky grease!!»
A last andperhaps most humorous example of Janet's Turklish, was when, instead ofinviting a visiting Post doc candidate to go into the library, take off hiscoat, and relax until she could be with him, she actually said, «go to thelibrary, sit down, take your shirt off.» She quickly realized her mistakeand burst into a big smile. Luckily the post doc had a good sense of humor and weall laughed, but what an ice-breaker!
Aside from theTurklish, Janet was certainly very well spoken, well traveled, and a trulyinternationally-minded person. There was no name, be it French, Japanese, orRussian, that she could not pronounce. However for some reason there was onethat she never was able to get quite right. You could tell that it was comingup in a sentence (usually at an AAVSO meeting) when her normally steadily pacedspeech would slow down to a halt as she said, for example, «and our next observeraward goes to...» She would peer out with a sheepish grin as she said,«Gerry» very slowly and then paused. Invariably a resounding«SAMOLYK» would be heard from most of the smiling audience. Of courseall of this would be followed up not just with a certificate and a handshake,but with Janet's trademark heartfelt hug. We all know it was the hug thatcounted.Janet as a force to be reckoned with
Althoughmemories of Janet often involve her beaming smile and cheerful enthusiasm, shecould also get down to business and be quite intimidating when she needed to.
Once when sheand Gamze were walking back to Janet's car after a lunch out of the office,they noticed a tow truck picking up a car that looked a lot like Janet's. Asthey realized that it was indeed her car, Janet took off yelling at the towtruck driver demanding that he lower her vehicle. After several minutes ofdemonstrative gesturing and debate, the car was lowered and the ladies were ontheir way.
Imagine thesurprise of a would-be thief when caught in Janet's hotel room by her while shewas attending a meeting in Paris. While most victims would turn the other wayand go for help, Janet approached the perpetrator herself and proceeded tochase the villain-Janet wearing high heels, mind you-down the hall until thepursuit ended when the door to the thief's sure-fire get away turned out to bea closet.
Dabbling inhigh-speed, high-heeled chases on foot were not the only civic duties Janetparticipated in. One night when she, Gamze, and Kerri returned from a workingdinner, they noticed a car parked adjacent to AAVSO Headquarters with the trunkslightly ajar and keys dangling from its lock. Janet, acting as a sleuth,opened the trunk and investigated for any suspicious activity. Satisfied thatno foul play had taken place, Janet shut the trunk and took the keys for safekeeping. Instead of notifying the police, Janet left a note on the car statingthat the owner should contact her if they wanted the keys to be returned.Working late that night, Janet bravely answered the call to return the keys totheir rightful owner. As it turned out, the scene was not a CSI Cambridgemystery, but rather just a simple case of someone forgetting their keys.Janet as mentor
So far, we havementioned several funny anecdotes that make us smile when we remember what alively, fun, and caring person Janet was. But her influence runs much deeperthan that. She enriched our lives as a leader, a teacher, and a mentor.
Janet Matteiserved as an important mentor to many staff members. She treated us all withthe same respect she treated her professional colleagues and was alwaysavailable to answer questions and give advice, even when working late. ManyAAVSO staff members or volunteers have gone on to become very successfulastronomers.
Janet alwayshad a way of looking at the bright side of things. When seemingly difficulttimes would be upon us, she would often say, «this, too, shall pass.»Unfortunately, Janet, our sadness will not pass, but since you would advise usto look on the bright side, we are all better people for having had you, yourkindness, your wisdom, and your influence in our lives. Thank you, Janet!
Beginning her career (1974-1984)
I will neverforget sitting for a few minutes in the dark on a bench in the Maria MitchellObservatory having a pleasant discussion with a charming young Turkish girlabout her experiences in the United States up to that time in 1969. However,when I learned a few years later this same young girl was replacing MargaretMayall as the AAVSO Director, my first reaction was one of stunned surprise, infact dismay. Janet was fairly invisible to me as a rank and file member duringher first five years. Thus, at the time I was first elected to the AAVSOCouncil in 1978, I was somewhat negative about her as the AAVSO Director. Myattitude would soon change.
I have had torely on others to tell me about that first five to eight years of Janet'stenure as the Director. I am grateful to Janet's close personal friends andconfidants, Dorrit Hoffleit and Martha Hazen, and to Charles Scovil, GeorgeFortier, and Marv Baldwin, the first three AAVSO presidents that Janet workedwith as director, and to John Bortle, an outstanding observer, all of whomgenerously shared time and their thoughts with me.
Anyone who hashad the unique experience of taking over command in any organization, large orsmall, can likely imagine the feelings that Janet must have had on the firstday after she took control of the keys to the office at 187 Concord Avenue inCambridge. She had worked in the AAVSO office for less than a year. Of theindividuals she knew there, only Margaret Mayall and Dorrit Hoffleit could haveseemed like friends that she could rely on for help. That thought no doubt gaveJanet an uneasy feeling. Furthermore, the way things ran then, as now, theAAVSO's officers did not spend a lot of time helping the director with herwork. Furthermore, interest in variable stars was increasing both amongobservers and among the professionals, so both the observations from amateursand the questions from professionals were coming in faster than ever.
Those first fewyears must have seemed like a nightmare for Janet. During the day she was inthe office responding to calls, answering questions, and plotting data by hand.In the late 1960s, Margaret initiated coding of all current observations onpunched cards but the work was going slowly and made no real contribution tothe daily work in the office. Indeed, Margaret had continued to plot allincoming observations manually, with a pencil on paper, so she could respond toquestions that arose about specific AAVSO program stars, mainly the long periodvariables. Janet attempted to follow in Margaret's footsteps in this way, butshe also spent many nights at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO)computing center attempting to debug programs to plot the punched card data aslight curves.
If Janet hadany reservations about how to perform her job, it was not evident from the wayshe handled things from the start. In a 1975 letter to Marv Baldwin, Janetopened with a very cordial introduction and her thanks for all past efforts, afew other pleasantries, and then urged Marv to get things done «with a lotof hard nosed arm twisting.» Marv characterized this as typical of Janet'sstyle for the rest of her career.
Following inMargaret MayalPs footsteps was not made easier by the fact that a transitionfrom the Old Guard to a new order in the AAVSO was increasingly being demandedby some members. An example of this pressure, which had arisen well beforeMargaret retired, can be seen in the movement for increased membercommunications that was in progress as Janet became director. An informal newsletter,Variable Views, published by AAVSO member Carolyn Hurless from her Lima, Ohiohome, was very successful in promoting communication among some members but wascompletely outside headquarters control and not always appreciated there. Anaggressive group of members-the «Fairfield Four»: Clint Ford, CharlesScovil, John Bortle, and Wayne Lowder-decided that the AAVSO needed several newtypes of more formal communication with its members. They undertook two newpublications-The Journal of the AAVSO (JAAVSO), and the AA VSO Circular-both ofwhich were edited, printed, and distributed from the Stamford Observatory inFairfield County, Connecticut. Thus, neither Margaret, nor Janet as hersuccessor, had complete control over the content of these off-site publications,though both reserved the right to review any publication that bore the AAVSOlogo.
The Journal ofthe AAVSO (JAAVSO), edited initially by William and Florence Glenn, did fill avery real need. However, as a technical journal claiming to represent theAssociation to the variable star community around the world it was a constantsource of concern for Janet. The AAVSO Circular edited by John Bortle waswelcomed for its monthly feedback by many members who were interested incataclysmic and irregular variables, but the problems for headquarters were thesame.
When the Glennsresigned as editors of the JAAVSO in 1974, Janet had her first opportunity tobegin dealing constructively with the problem created by these initiatives.After the AAVSO Council appointed Charles Whitney to the journal editorship,Janet began gradually to move activities related to the journal intoheadquarters. Production of the first JAAVSO issues at headquarters inCambridge took place in 1975, and has been handled there since. Janet used theopportunity to replace the JAAVSO editor successfully to begin the majorchanges needed in headquarters staffing and organization, a process thatcontinued throughout her tenure as director.
The«Fairfield Four» were also responsible for initiating the preparationof the AAVSO Variable Star Atlas, a project that was sorely needed, but againoutside the ability of the limited headquarters staff to monitor or manage. Inaddition, the atlas project precipitated another crisis when AAVSO TreasurerRichard Davis resigned in a mid-term dispute involving handling of the Atlas.His resignation created a vacuum that Newton May all filled for a few years.However, Newton over-supervised Janet, stretching their relationship to thebreaking point. Janet handled this effectively by recruiting Ted Wales asTreasurer.
The main pointI want to leave you with here is that there was an enormous amount of turmoilunder the placid surface that was the public face of the AAVSO in those days.The ever-smiling, charming young Turkish girl turned out to be just as toughand politically savvy as anyone involved, and she needed to be just that.
After 1 waselected to the AAVSO Council in 1978 and started learning what the Director'sjob was all about, I came to value Janet's contributions to the organizationever more highly. I will never forget the trip from The Espousal ConferenceCenter in Waltham, Massachusetts, to Logan airport after the 1980 Fall Meeting.lt was my first ride in a car with Janet driving, and a hair-raising experienceis the only way to characterize it. On that wild ride I first learned toappreciate Janet's concerns for the future, her desire to make the AAVSO hercareer, and her uncertainty about whether AAVSO would work to keep her. Sheexpressed her concerns about the need for a permanent and much largerheadquarters. She was already planning for the seventy-fifth anniversary of theAAVSO, an event that was still five years away, and hoped to have headquarterssettled in a new building before then. This was, to say the least, an ambitiousand challenging goal for someone with her limited experience-entirelycharacteristic of Janet.
Janet alsofaced some fairly intimidating technical challenges as well as the earlyadministrative and political problems. One type of request from professionalastronomers for technical support seemed to her to offer exceptionalopportunities, coordinating observing programs with orbiting observatories.Professional astronomers managing orbiting observatories needed both predictionsof events in cataclysmic variables (CVs) and real-time alerts when abrightening did occur. With some help from John Bortle, Janet quickly becameskilled in predicting eruptions. By recruiting observers to provide real-timealerts and by making herself available to receive their notification calls atall hours of the day and night, Janet fashioned an active support program thatcontinues to function well to this day. Her success in this program was largelyresponsible for the increased awareness and acceptance of the AAVSO within theprofessional community that we now enjoy. France Cordova announced to the worldat the 1979 AAVSO annual meeting that an SS Cygni maximum that had beenpredicted by Janet, and then detected by AAVSO observers, had been observed inX-rays-the first time the observation of X-rays coincided with a transientevent in a visually observed astronomical object. No one who was present willlikely forget the electrifying excitement felt by proud AAVSO members, most ofall by Janet, when that announcement was made.
AAVSOHeadquarters continued to process current monthly observations, and to enterall the backlogged observations. The project experienced short term butfrustrating delays with new computer programs and data entry technology.Progress was slow and the work was tedious. It would be difficult toover-estimate the frustrations that Janet felt most of the time. Progress wasbeing made nearly continuously, but not fast enough to satisfy some members.Even more frustrating must have been the routine and crushing expectations fromsome members that nothing would change from the way that the AAVSO had alwaysbeen under two prior directors. That expectation could be seen in constantdemands that the next edition of the long period variables report be publishedwhile Janet was still struggling with the detailed editing of the data and withautomatic plotting of the long period light curves.
As Janet becamemore successful with the data management programs, boxes of computer cards piledup in the office. Stacks of boxes served as partitions, supported impromptutables, blocked daylight from coming through the windows and gathered dust.Then, just before the Spring meeting in 1984, a fire broke out in the apartmentover the AAVSO office at 187 Concord Avenue. Fortunately for the AAVSO, therewas no damage downstairs, but the event served as a wake-up call for theCouncil as it met in Ames, Iowa, that spring. When the Council realized thatits most precious assets were thousands of pieces of paper that were decayingin wooden filing cabinets and thousands of boxes containing punched papercards, it was clear that would have to move to a more secure location topreserve those assets. At the same time the Council decided to accelerate themagnetization of the data contained on all that paper so it could be duplicatedand preserved. This plunged the staff into a long campaign to upgrade computersystems to bring all data processing and plotting into headquarters to supportthe accelerated program, and employment of additional staff in offices thatwere already overcrowded. The goal, to complete the data entry and validationof all the archived data (1911-1967), seemed achievable in a short period giventhis renewed commitment of resources.
With somecoaching from Janet, Clint Ford gave the word that a search for new quartersshould proceed on the basis of finding a permanent headquarters building thathe would purchase and donate to the Association. At that point Janet wasleading the organization across an important bridge in its history as well asin her own.Freed from the past? (1985-1994)
As soon as shegot the word from Clint, Janet solicited help from 2nd vice president KeithDanskin, who soon located an ideal property at 25 Birch Street, in Cambridge.Adjacent to the offices of Sky & Telescope magazine, and still comfortablyclose to the Harvard College/Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatories, thebuilding was the right size and retained the identical postal code. Clintvisited the building, agreed it was the right choice, and negotiated thepurchase. However, as the negotiations for the mortgage and the purchase of theproperty were in their final stages, a dispute broke out in the Council thatthreatened the entire plan. President Ernst Mayer was strongly opposed to anytransaction that obligated the AAVSO to a mortgage even though Clint signed aseparate contract with the AAVSO agreeing to fund the mortgage payments. Mayerrefused to sign the mortgage papers at the last minute. Janet had to arrangefor other officers to replace Mayer at the closing. The incident precipitatedMayer's effective resignation from the presidency; he eventually resigned fromthe association completely, a tragic loss of a brilliant observer. Thus theHeadquarters building acquisition was not without its cost in human terms.
In thefollowing year, Janet and an AAVSO committee dedicated the headquartersbuilding as the Clinton B. Ford Astronomical Data and Research Center as partof the AAVSO's 75th anniversary celebration. Professional and amateurastronomers attended from all over the world. The celebration was a fittingclimax to Janet's dream of over six years. The dedication speaker, Dr. RicardoGiaconni, director of the Space Telescope Science Institute, accepted thisassignment because of his admiration for Janet, and the AAV SO's record ofcontributions to X-ray and orbiting observatory astronomy. It should be notedthat the previous year, 1985, was the last year that U. S. observerscontributed over half of the total observations for the year. Under Janet'sleadership, the AAVSO evolved slowly into an international organization.
The followingyear, AAVSO members became aware of Janet's growing international stature inseveral ways. First, she served as one of the professional organizers of an IAUColloquium on professional and amateur cooperation in astronomy. During thatParis meeting, the Societe Astronomique de France awarded Janet their GoldMedal for her international leadership in variable star astronomy. Janet wasinvited to the Leiden Observatory immediately after the Paris meeting toaddress the Dutch astronomical society. It was evident by 1987 that Janet wasan international celebrity, at least in variable star astronomy. This soon ledto an invitation from the Belgian astronomers who offered to organize theAAVSO's first international meeting in Brussels. By the time that meeting tookplace in 1990, the international observations amounted to two-thirds of theannual total added to the AAVSO's now truly international variable starobservation database.
It was also inthis period that we held our first recent joint meetings with the AmericanAstronomical Society, first in Columbus, Ohio (1992), and then in Berkeley,California (1993). These joint meetings were scheduled to give AAVSO membersconvenient access to professional astronomers who were practicing CCDphotometry and mark the advent of CCDs in AAVSO observing.
Fund raisingcontinued to be a crucial issue to which Janet was forced to devote time andenergy. She led a fund raising effort in the Council, published monographs as ameans of promoting more gifts to the AAVSO, and even took on the Hands-OnAstrophysics educational project as another way of enhancing our cash flow.Clint Ford's unfortunate death in 1992 created the prospect of an inheritance,but did not relieve the AAVSO's financial problem in the short term.
After Clint'sdeath, one of the things that became possible, however, was that Janet wasfreed to initiate a detailed look at what the future held for the AAVSO-thefirst time such a detailed planning exercise had been undertaken on theAssociation's behalf. The Futures Study, in effect, marked Janet's finalrelease from the past and turned her gaze to the enhancement of AAVSO researchand services to its membership.A mature leader (1995-2004)
The changesthat Janet led in the AAVSO in her third decade as AAVSO director are moreapparent and do not require much elaboration. One of the things that stands outis the extent of her maturity as a leader. She led the AAVSO in that thirddecade in ways that were somewhat unimaginable for anyone who had been aroundfor the previous two decades. The AAVSO survived a period of short funds whilewaiting for the Ford inheritance, delayed for several years by a legalchallenge to his estate. Outside recognition came to Janet through manyavenues. She was elected to the board of directors of the Astronomical Societyof the Pacific. Two prestigious awards were given to her-the Van Biesbroeckaward of the American Astronomical Society (1993), and the Jackson-Gwilt medaland prize of the Royal Astronomical Society (1995).
Many changes inthe AAVSO were made possible with grant funding that flowed as a result ofJanet's increased stature among variable star astronomers. Consider, forexample, how quickly AAVSO moved into the internet with very modern andup-to-date web-based utilities funded substantially from grants. Of course wehad to have the technical horsepower on our staff in Headquarters to scalethose mountains. What is amazing about all that, though, is not what skilledstaff like Aaron Price can do, they work wonders. The fact is that Janet wasable to employ them, and reacted quickly and support! vely to theirsuggestions. Our capability is enormously enhanced as a result. The pace atwhich Doug West was allowed and encouraged to move into Near-IR photometry isanother clear example, as are the growing numbers of CCD observations in our database.Things could not have happened this quickly in earlier years; it is a clearreflection of Janet's growing maturity as a manager that they happened at all.The most amazing of all such projects is the program of chart modernization.Janet may not have been too happy with the way that successful project emerged,but by now she was wise enough not to stand in front of a train that was longoverdue.
However, thebest example of Janet's maturing management skills was the AAVSO involvement inhigh-energy astrophysics through the cataclysmic variables programs, and thenthrough our rapid movement into the gamma-ray burster program. In a very shortperiod of time, Janet got the grants, allocated the funds to the purchase ofnecessary equipment, facilitated the professional and amateur cooperation, andwatched the results finally begin to flow. There is a certain comfortable ironyto the fact that Janet had just come home from what had to be, for her, a verysatisfying meeting. Our second high-energy astrophysics workshop with NASA andour third major international meeting, this time a «Pan-Pacific»meeting in Hawaii, occurred shortly before she learned of her illness that wasultimately fatal.An unfinished but closed chapter
The «unfinishedbut closed chapter»-what do I mean by that? Well, in the final analysis,it was Janet's own insecurity that prompted her continuous striving forperfection, a striving that at times brought things nearly to a halt inheadquarters because she would not allow others to complete tasks like thefinal editing and approval of the journal. She was never able to overcome thatfeeling that she had to be perfect. It was this striving that got so many goodthings done so well, but there is a terrible price one pays for that insecurityin the later years of life. In a very large measure, Janet's work at the AAVSOwas already done; she was successful beyond anyone's prediction, including herown at the time she was employed as director.
There is stillmuch to be done on past problems and so many new opportunities. But that is notwhat I mean by «the unfinished but closed chapter.» If you have neverexperienced it, you may find it hard to imagine the tremendous satisfactionthat one feels when handing over the keys to an office, and walking out for thelast time, knowing that you have achieved a great deal doing the best that youcould. For Janet it might not be overstating the case to say that it was thebest that anyone could have done. That she was never able to step back, toretire, and be acknowledged for her achievements, to receive the finalaccolades for all that went into her wonderful career-that, in my humbleopinion, is the real tragedy of her premature death, that she was not allowedto draw that chapter to a close herself.
It was JanetAkyuz Mattei, that charming energetic determined young Turkish girl we hired inlate 1973, who put the AAVSO into high gear. No one who has ever taken a ridein a car with Janet driving could miss the metaphor involved, but what a wildand wonderful ride this past 30 years has been. May she finally rest in peacewith the certain knowledge that her outstanding achievements as the leader ofthe AAVSO over that thirty-year period cannot and will not be forgotten.