The Beginning
The Barnard Astronomical Society of Chattanooga (1923 – )
On November 15, 1923, Professor Burleigh S. Annis organized and chaired a small initial meeting consisting of five local astronomy enthusiasts at the Central YMCA in downtown Chattanooga. Officers were initially elected with Mr. Annis as President, Howard Smith as Vice President, John Nicklin, Jr. as Secretary, and Marguerite Brenizer as Librarian.
Mr. Nicklin, Jr. brought the first bylaws to accompany the constitution presented by Mr. Annis, which was unanimously adopted. Annetta Trimble, a local math teacher, then made the accepted motion for the new society to be named after the distinguished Tennessee astronomer Professor Edward Emerson Barnard who had recently passed away. Hence, the Barnard Astronomical Society (BAS) was born.
Minutes from the first BAS meeting (November 15, 1923)
BAS membership rapidly increased to about thirty members within a few months and consisted of local teachers, business people, artists, publishers, and doctors. The BAS was a significant early influence for amateur astronomy and telescope making in both Tennessee and the Southeast. That commitment to positively impact science and astronomy enthusiasts, education, and outreach still continues one hundred years later.
Chattanooga Daily Times articles (November 18, 1923 and February 17, 1924)
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“Do not look at stars as bright spots only. Try to take in the vastness of the universe” - Maria Mitchell
Image Credit: BAS Member Dennis Sprinkle