April 17, 1941 - July 28, 2011
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Richard D. Schwartz, Professor Emeritus of Astronomy, died at his home in Sequim, WA on July 28, 2011 after a 2 ½ year battle with pancreatic cancer. When Dick arrived at the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 1975, he was the only astronomer in the Department of Physics. He built the astronomy program and initiated the B.S. in physics with an astrophysics option that the majority of physics majors choose. Dick was a wonderful teacher and provided outstanding leadership to the campus, especially as Department Chairperson from 1996-2000. He designed and provided oversight on the construction of the campus observatory that was completed at its south campus location in 1981. Since that time the observatory, which houses a 14-inch Celestron telescope, has served as both a teaching and research facility. It is also used for monthly public open houses that draw hundreds of people annually to the campus to view the Moon, stars, and planets. Upon his retirement in 2003, the Board of Curators approved naming the campus observatory the "Richard D. Schwartz Observatory" in honor of his distinctive service to the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
| As important as Dick's service to promote public interest in astronomy was his efforts to make the campus observatory a research facility. Dick equipped and maintained the observatory with state-of-art detectors that allowed students to get their first taste of scientific research. From 1991-2003, he managed the campus program for the NASA/Missouri Space Grant Consortium and mentored over 30 research students in projects at the observatory. The results of some of these projects have been published in astronomical journals. Many of these students have gone on to graduate schools and several have achieved tenure and distinction at major universities. In addition to Dick's record of service to the University of Missouri-St. Louis, he compiled a distinguished record of research that gave him an international reputation as an astrophysicist. During his career, Dick pioneered a new research area studying the energetic mass loss in young stars. Today, there are hundreds of astronomers and physicists working in this area worldwide. He used a variety of unique telescopes to conduct his research including the Hubble Space Telescope, the Kuiper Airborne Observatory, and the International Ultraviolet Explorer. There have been over 2000 citations to his 80 scientific papers. From 1979-1998, he had continuous funding from NASA and the National Science Foundation. For his distinguished research record, he received the Chancellor's Award for Research and Creativity in 1999. Dick retired in 2003 after 28 years at UMSL. However he kept active in research until his death, using the Galaxy View Observatory which he constructed adjacent to his home in Sequim. Characteristic of his broad scientific interests, the Geological Society of America Today will publish Dick's commentary on the scientific basis of anthropogenic global warming this year. Dick is survived by his wife of 23 years, Eleanor McIntyre. She has requested that contributions in his memory be made to the Richard D. Schwartz Scholarship fund at UMSL. A memorial service celebrating Dick's life will be held on Sunday, September 4, from 7-9 pm at the Glen Echo Country Club. | |
