Yale Astronomer about to turn 100

[HeyLeroy]

Dorrit Hoffleit sits near the window of her New Haven apartment, feeling every bit of her 99 years, 10 months, and five days.

She is weak. She can no longer make the short walk to the Yale University astronomy department. She can't hear very well, and she now needs a caretaker with her day and night.

"Most of the time I sleep," Hoffleit says, sitting at her kitchen table. "And every time I go to sleep, I hope I'll not wake up. And before you know it, I'm up again."

She smiles.

"But anyway," she adds, "I think I'll make 100."

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/health_science/articles/2007/01/29/astronomer_99_still_shoots_for_stars/

Hoffleit was accepted at Radcliffe College, Harvard's college for women at the time, and graduated in 1928. She went to work as a research assistant in Harvard's astronomy department, getting paid 40 cents an hour next to men who got paid a dollar.

Undeterred, Hoffleit stuck with it, earning a PhD in astronomy in 1938, working for the government computing missile trajectories during World War II, and joining Yale's astronomy department in 1956. There, for the next five decades, she would become known to astronomers as the author of the Yale Bright Star Catalogue and one of the hardest-working astronomers around.

You go, girl!

 

[FaisonMars]

Dorrit turned 100 last year, and we had a big conference in her honor. She's amazing-- until recently, she walked in from her apartment to her office to work almost everyday. She fell last year and has had a hard time recovering physically, but her mind is definitely still there.

 

[HeyLeroy]

Jeesh, it was just in my local paper. The link to the Boston Globe is dated 29 Jan '07.

I wonder who dropped the ball on their research?

ETA: Odd. from Wikipedia:

Ellen Dorrit Hoffleit (usually known as Dorrit Hoffleit) (born March 12, 1907)

 

[wollery]

I use the Bright Star Catalogue on a regular basis.

Dorrit Hoffleit is a legend.

 

[FaisonMars]

Jeesh, it was just in my local paper. The link to the Boston Globe is dated 29 Jan '07.

I wonder who dropped the ball on their research?

Actutally, no I was mistaken-- I just checked with someone else in the dept. and found out that indeed Dorrit was born in 1907, so the conference was a bit ahead of schedule.