AAAA Founders
AAAA Founder John Wagoner (left) and
AAAA President Ed Flaspoehler (right)
at the Humbolt Planetarium, Caracas,
Venezuela, February, 1998.
AAAA President Ed Flaspoehler started the American Association of Amateur Astronomers in
1996 with his friend John Wagoner as a way to bring astronomical
information via the internet to people who would not otherwise
have access to an astronomy club. The AAAA is registered as a
member society of the AL, and is one of the 10 largest clubs in the Astronomical League.
The AAAA website is
www.astromax.org.
As part of the activities of the AAAA, Ed also runs Astromax,
the AAAA Online Store, at
www.AstroMax.com, which provides a select line of carefully
chosen products to help get started in astronomy, and to enhance
enjoyment of the night sky.
Ed has been a member of
the Texas Astronomical Society of Dallas since 1980, and served as
its president in 1994/1995. He also spent many years on its Board
of Directors. He was editor of the REFLECTOR, the newsletter of
the Astronomical League, for 11 years, from May 1989 to August
2000. During his editorship, the magazine increased in scope from
8 pages black and white to 24 pages color, with extensive
advertising. Ed is recipient of the Astronomical League's "Bob
Wright" Service Award, which was awarded at ALCON 1990 in St.
Louis, MO, and the AL President's award in 2000, awarded at the
Astronomical League Convention in Ventura,CA, for his work on the
REFLECTOR.
Ed received the 1996 Omega Centauri Award, presented annually
at the Texas Star Party, for service to astronomy on the local,
regional, and national level. He served as Secretary of the
Southwest Region of the Astronomical League in the mid-90's.
Over the years, Ed has been an occasional speaker at various
astronomy clubs and star parties in the US southwest , including his home
club, the Texas Astronomical Society of Dallas, the Fort Worth AS,
the Houston AS, the Oklahoma City Astronomy Club, the Astronomical
Society of Kansas City, the Great Plains Star Party, and StarCon
2002 in Topeka, KS. For the last 5 years, he has been an invited
speaker to the annual Lake Whitney Star Party, near Hillsboro, TX.
AAAA Founder John Wagoner brings significant expertise to his position.
His life-long interest in astronomy and long time involvement with the SWRAL's Texas Star Party, the Astronomical
League, and his local club, the Texas Astronomical Society of Dallas, give him a unique perspective on the needs
of both novice and experienced amateur astronomers.
John's major accomplishments for the Astronomical League include
developing a series of three binocular observing programs, a double star program, a lunar program, a CCD imaging
and observing program based on the Arp Catalog of Peculiar Galaxies, and an Urban observing program for heavily
light polluted areas to help bring astronomy back to the cities, all programs of wide interest to its membership.
John was the A.L.'s Computer User's Group Chairman as well as ran the A.L.'s Stargate Computer Bulletin Board Service
for twelve years.
In 2003, John founded the City Lights Astronomical Society for
Students (CLASS) as a way to nurture an interest in astronomy to
inner city childen. CLASS was originally intended for Dallas
schools, but, through the Astronomical League, has expanded into an
organization with several chapters across the nation.
John served eighteen years on the Board of Directors of the Texas Astronomical Society of
Dallas, and was that club's Observing Chairman for the same period, and is an Astronomical League past National
Secretary. Each year, John creates binocular and telescope observing programs for the SWRAL's Texas Star Party,
and serves on the Board of Director's of the SWRAL's Texas Star
Party.
John received the Omega Centauri Award, presented annually at the Texas Star Party for service to astronomy on
the local, regional, and national level. He also received the Texas Star Party's "Lone Stargazer" Award
in 1983 for service to the Southwest Region of the Astronomical League.
John Wagoner resigned as president of the AAAA in May 2001.
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