Aroostook sky watcher turns 60
To the editor:
Please celebrate the 60th birthday of Lawrence William Berz, warmly known as Larry to friends and by children as Mr. Bubble (from the shape of the planetarium star theater in Easton.)
Born in Glencoe, Illinois, this transplant to Aroostook County displayed an interest in the skies at a very young age. His later days and nights remain deeply and dramatically influenced by his younger years — as he turned his eyes to the skies, seeking knowledge, peace and contentment.
The youngest of three children — his parents, Chicagoans Marvin and Elaine Berz, supported their child’s interests. They ensured a telescope to be located in the house, with trips to participate in Solar eclipse activities throughout the United States and Europe, his seeking increased knowledge regarding the skies, and his successful efforts in building his own telescope during his high school years.
The household focused on education; both formal and informal. Their extensive library offered much in the way of celestial information, in which Mr. Berz engulfed his free time. Schooled at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois and later, in the 1970’s, at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, John Marshall Law School in Chicago Illinois, and the National Lewis University in Evanston, Illinois in the 1980s, Larry arrived in Aroostook County in 1988, filling a position as Planetarium Coordinator for Easton’s Francis Malcolm Science Center.
He worked diligently under the direction of Peg and Phil Orser of Fort Fairfield and soon won the hearts of many children who clamored into the building as part of their school program, enriching their knowledge of both sky and land. After the opening of the Maine School of Science and Mathematics in Limestone in 1995, Mr. Berz began teaching Astronomy I and II as a formal course in 1998.
Mr. Berz continues to educate inhabitants of Aroostook regarding the connection of the celestial world to human spirituality, strengths, weaknesses, political events, human attributes, continually communicating his own creation of the Aroostook Skies column in the weekly newspaper as a means of educating those he could not reach in Easton. He offers opportunities to any passersby to view the stars through Goliath at Hannaford’s in Caribou.
His active participation in seeking and then obtaining additional monies for the Francis Malcolm Science Center in Easton will help to maintain energetic and innovative programs for our youth in unknown upcoming years. He continues to work with Dr. David Batuski — professor at the University of Maine, Orono, and his Aroostook students, in fulfilling their lab criteria for the Astronomy class at UMO offered by Dr. Batuski.
He offered multiple workshops at the Beth Israel Synagogue in Bangor, the Young Authors program, the Summer Explorations Camps at the Math and Science School, Project Explore and the Summer Science Boot Camp at UMPI, the moonlit snowshoe hikes at the Science Center, and the STEM educators’ workshops for statewide teachers.
Larry’s passion, expertise, and exuberance for the topic expand our thought process, our intellect, and our understanding of the connectedness of the earth and sky; listeners are pulled into his stories, flecked with laughter, analogies, and parables that make the moments unforgettable.
Think of Aroostook County without a Lawrence Berz! We would be oblivious to our own celestial ignorance. Mr. Berz touches the hearts and minds of at least three generations! There would exist little awareness of the Pleiades, of Scorpius, Orion’s belt, Betelguese, or Fomalhaut without his commitment to the education of all. We would not anticipate the conjunction of dazzling Venus with a neighborly crescent moon or the telescopic wonder of giant Jupiter with its accompanying satellites. We would not be the privileged ones who gained knowledge of our celestial windfall through passionate, lively conversation and experience that leaves one’s fingers and toes cold, our breathing heavier from the exhilaration of being close to G-d’s Universe.
To sum it all up: A magical experience not found in book learning!
So when you see him, stop him, thank him for all he offers and does for Aroostook County residents.
Anonymous
