Bob discovered astronomy even before he moved to Atlanta in the late 50’s. His first telescope was a department-store refractor, with an aperture of about 90 mm. He first joined a small astronomy club that had been established in south Fulton County, but soon he learned that the AAC was more suited to his interests. Bob wanted to build a "real" observatory, and do real research. He never wavered from this goal.

As he progressed through the pilot’s hierarchy at Delta and his salary increased, Bob began to plan a home/observatory in southwest Atlanta. The domed observatory comprised the third floor of the structure. He named the observatory "Braeside" in honor of his wife’s ancestral home in Scotland.

For the telescope, he obtained one of the first three 16" disks that found their way to Atlanta. These huge disks had been purchased by Agnes Scott College’s astronomer, Bill Calder, when they were surplused by the military after World War II.

The 16" Cassegrain primary and its hyperboloidal secondary mirror were the only mirrors that Bob ever ground. He wanted to be an observer, not a telescope maker.

Bob was a consummate mechanic and machinist. He built the fork mounting for the telescope on his own, and almost completely without help. The whole thing was moved by motors, something almost unheard of in amateur instruments at that time. The telescope never actually "went into service" because Bob was always improving it and drilling new holes in the tube.

Next he undertook to build a photometer. It only took a few weeks for him to produce a laboratory-grade instrument that would be the pride of any professional observatory. It was completely automated, rotating filters into and out of position, focusing and making measurements without human assistance.

Bob was the kind of person that you naturally wanted to give things to. He once asked me if I would give him my watch! (But that’s another story.) About 1975, as Bob was waiting in an airport for a connection to his next flight, he discovered that the man sitting next to him was named Steve Jobs (the co-inventor of Apple Computers). Being an excellent salesman, as well as an astronomer, Bob managed to get Jobs to offer a free computer if Bob would share his experiences in automating his telescope with Apple. Thus began the computerized telescope. At that time there were very few computerized telescopes in existence because the desktop computer was only a year or so old. Nobody could afford to do it. Bob received the Apple computer, and soon the slewing motors were humming, being operated from a control console somewhere on the dome floor.

When Bob built the observatory part of the house, he was warned about the evils of domes. And lo, the large house turned out to be a large heat sink. The telescope’s performance fell far short of expectations.

Driven by his desire to do serious observing, Bob decided to move to a better climate. He chose Boulder, Colorado, where he had once lived. High above the city is Flagstaff Mountain (has a ring to it, doesn’t it?). Bob bought property there, in the middle of a pine forest. Once again he built a home, but this time the observatory building was many feet away from the heat of the house. This project consumed several years, and at the end of it the telescope’s performance was much improved, but not what had been expected. The 100-mph winds cresting over Flagstaff Mountain didn’t help!

So, after about four years, another move was made. This time Bob made a careful study of the regions of the country which could be expected to produce superb seeing. As Percival Lowell had found a century before him, he decided that the best choice was Flagstaff, Arizona.

Bob purchased some land adjacent to the U.S. Naval Observatory’s Flagstaff station. Again a house was built in a pine forest. Again the observatory was isolated from the house. But this time the telescope was placed on a tower two-stories tall. Now it all came together! The telescope, photometers, CCD cameras, computers and dome all operated together flawlessly. Bob didn’t have to leave his house to do an observing run. The telescope and observatory even shut themselves down and closed up automatically if it became cloudy!

The next step was to find observational work to do. He wanted to do something that would be meaningful to professionals who could use large volumes of accurate magnitude measurements. But he didn’t wait until the observatory was finished to search out the researchers who needed him. At Patrick Moore’s suggestion, he attended professional meetings and spread the word of Braeside and its unique capabilities far and wide. He soon found a number of researchers who were anxious to sign him on to their projects. According to his Sky & Telescope obituary, which will appear in the next issue:

As he approached 70, Bob was determined that his observatory, and its work, should not die with him. Therefore he and his wife donated the observatory, house and property to Arizona State University. The couple could continue to live in the house and operate the observatory, but upon their deaths, the school would take over. The university promised to continue to operate Braeside as an astronomical observatory on a permanent basis. Braeside’s web site is at: http://phyastweb.la.asu.edu/braeside/

Bob served as president of the Atlanta Astronomy Club, and was a two-term president of the Astronomical League. During his tenure as AL president he instituted a reorganization aimed at improving the League’s services, and the method in which they were delivered. He was also a member of the American Astronomical Society (our national professional organization for astronomers). In the past few years Bob came to Atlanta to speak to our club twice.

Bob’s interest in aviation continued after his retirement from Delta. Flagstaff is a remote place, and Bob bought a small Cessna to fly back and forth to Phoenix and other destinations. He donated time to Angel Flight and Flights for Life, organizations that provide air transport for patients and medical supplies to and from remote locations. On November 13, 2003, while on one of these missions, Bob radioed that he was having engine trouble. Nothing further was heard from him. By the time rescue personnel reached the wreckage, Bob was dead.

These days, 72 years doesn’t seem long enough to fit a life’s activities and work into. But Bob was a man who accomplished very much. Every time it appeared that he had gone as far as an amateur could go, he drew upon some source of renewed energy, enthusiasm, creativity and ability that dwelled within. During his years in Atlanta his house was the social center of the Club. We had many observing parties and meetings there. Whenever a prominent astronomer came to town, it was more than likely that he would stay with the Frieds. Horace Dall, Karel and Harriett Hujer and Josef Klepesta are just a sample of their prominent guests.

When I think back over the experience of having known Bob I realize that what drew so many people into his orbit (his "redeeming feature" as he would have called it) was that he was having fun, and he somehow transmitted his feeling of joyous fun to those around him.

The most fitting epitaph for Bob might be in the words of Rabindranath Tagore, the teacher of Bob’s mentor, Karel Hujer: