Biographies

Here is a brief look at the members of Outreach for Education in Astronomy. They will be your guides, operate the telescope, teach you about the night sky, and answer your questions.


David Brown OEA

David Brown

Dave became interested in astronomy by way of his passion for mathematics. The mathematics underlying Newtonian mechanics based on Newton’s three laws of motion and the concept of gravity with its inverse square function gave him a deep appreciation for the power of mathematics in understanding our universe. As Dave says, “Such power in simple assumptions!” Dave received a B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Dayton and an M.S. in Mathematics from the University of Kansas. He spent his 48-year professional career working in IT for IBM. He is also an avid motorcyclist, traveling widely throughout the U.S. Dave is a charter member of Lone Star Observatory.


Robert Hendler

Bob became an amateur astronomer while serving as a card-carrying Girl Scout naturalist when his two oldest girls went on East Texas field trips. He began by helping the scouts to identify constellations by means of star-hopping (no lasers) and view the planets through small telescopes. He became sufficiently hooked by astronomy to then move on to ever-bigger telescopes. Bob is a physician with 20 years in private practice, 15 years with a Fortune 500 Health Care company, and four years with Parkland Hospital in Dallas as Chief Quality and Safety Officer and overseer of the Medical Staff and 1,200 residents. He is now semi-retired. Bob is a charter member of Lone Star Observatory.


Jean Walker

Jean has been involved in astronomy since she was 8 years old. She had her first telescope at age 10 and built her own telescope as a teenager. She attended classes at what is now the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History and studied with Charlie Mary Noble, after whom the museum’s planetarium is named. Although Jean’s career has been in data analysis and statistical modeling, her love of astronomy and astrophysics has never dimmed. She has a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin (Government) and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (International Politics). She is a charter member of Lone Star Observatory.

Open Star Clusters

Butterfly Star Cluster

Butterfly Star Cluster



Wild Duck Star Cluster

Wild Duck Star Cluster



Puppis Star Cluster

Puppis Star Cluster

Recently formed stars that have not yet dispersed from the local cluster in which they were born.