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By Linda Copman and Debbie Goodwin
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| Photo: Keck Observatory technical staff
servicing LRIS, the Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer
on the Keck I telescope. Photo by Sarah Anderson. |
Since 2005, Keck Observatory’s governing board has committed
a portion of its resources to attract private support to help
sustain and improve the world’s greatest telescopes. In December
2005, the observatory’s new Office of Advancement welcomed
its first major gift for the design and construction of MOSFIRE,
an advanced new instrument for the Keck I Telescope.
Keck Observatory’s other major funding priorities are to support
upgrades to existing systems and instrumentation and to develop
its Next Generation Adaptive Optics system to drive the Keck
telescopes to reach their full potential.
“At Keck Observatory we have only built the
first generation of adaptive optics systems. The technology
and expertise is now available to build systems with much
higher performance and new science capabilities. We need
someone with the kind of vision that the Keck Foundation
demonstrated to invest in the next generation of Keck adaptive
optics - in order to create the next generation of breakthrough
science.” - Peter Wizinowich, Keck Observatory optical
systems manager.
The Change Happens Foundation supports
the development and implementation of innovative technology
and progressive ideas to generate a positive force for change
in our world. This year the Foundation granted Keck Observatory
$203,992 for modifications to one of the observatory’s most
productive instruments, our Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer,
to expand the capabilities of the instrument by a factor of
five and increase the number of objects being studied by approximately
25 percent.
“I visited the Keck Observatory years ago and
saw the write-ups about W. M. Keck himself. I modeled Change
Happens after his foundation so it is not a stretch to
say I am honored to assist wherever we can.” - Douglas
Troxel, Change Happens Foundation
Keck Observatory also seeks to build a broad base of support
among Hawai‘i’s residents and part-time residents, many of
whom know little about Keck - the national scientific treasure
in their backyard. Evenings with Astronomers,
a new lecture series for friends of the observatory, received
generous sponsorship from the M.R. and Evelyn Hudson Foundation
in 2006 and from the Rob and Terry Ryan Foundation in 2007.
According to Terry Ryan,
“Rob and I chose Keck Observatory as one of
the non-profits we support in Hawai‘i because we believe
that astronomy is the most awe-inspiring science in the
world. Astronomy plays a vital role in Hawai‘i’s past,
present, and future.”
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| Photo: Keck astronomers inspire friends
of the observatory at inspirational talks about their
research, at the Evenings with Astronomers lecture
series at The Fairmont Orchid, Mauna Lani Resort. Photo
by Sarah Anderson. |
At a recent Evenings with Astronomers lecture,
Terry shared an excerpt from an 1880 letter from Hawai‘i’s
last king, David Kalakaua, written to a guest from California:
“Dear Sir, I must thank you sincerely for
the pamphlet you sent me of the Lick Observatory Trust.
Something of this kind is needed here very much, but we
have so few people who take interest in scientific matters.
Everybody is bent upon making money on sugar and the almighty
dollar.”
The philanthropic landscape for science projects is not much
changed today. In 2007, only 12 of the top 134 major foundations
in America list science and technology as one of their funding
priorities.
But Keck’s Office of Advancement remains optimistic. “As a
professional fundraiser for over 17 years, I am encouraged
by what I see happening in the world of philanthropy,” says
Keck Observatory’s director of advancement, Debbie Goodwin. “Perhaps
driven by continued confidence in the stock market and by the
leadership of several wealthy philanthropists, charitable giving
is on the rise,” she says.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy, a biweekly periodical for development
professionals, provided the following statistics in recent
issues:
- 21 Americans gave $100-million or more to charitable
causes in 2006, breaking a new record. Only 11 Americans
gave that much in 2005.
- Warren E. Buffet’s $43.5 billion donation to support
the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other organizations
was by far the largest commitment.
- Buffet and other notable philanthropists Paul Allen and
Oprah Winfrey were among the list of Time magazine’s 100
most influential people in the world. Allen gave $52.8
million in 2006. Winfrey gave $58.3 million, the majority
of it to her Leadership Academy Foundation.
- Not counting Buffet’s gift, wealthy Americans contributed
a total of $7 billion in 2006, compared with $4.3 billion
in 2005.
Nearly 90 percent of the wealthiest Americans report that the
primary reason they contribute philanthropically is that they
have a desire to give back to causes that matter to them most.
Big giving is expected to continue as American affluence grows.
In 2005 there were 8 million millionaires in the United States,
an eleven percent jump from 2004. Foundations are required
by law to give away at least 5% of their assets annually. The
majority of the wealthiest foundations plan to increase their
giving in 2007.
U.S. Trust, a wealth-management company, recently polled 264
Americans with assets of $5 million or more. Nearly 70 percent
of the respondents reported that they plan to leave some of
their assets to charity in their estate plans, through an array
of choices including bequests, charitable trusts, family foundations,
gift annuities, or donor-advised funds.
Goodwin shares that Keck Observatory’s governing board has
given her Advancement Office a strong vote of confidence. “They
believe we have a solid plan for success and are pleased that
the observatory’s director, Taft Armandroff, is playing a significant
role in our Advancement efforts,” she says.
According to Armandroff, “The amazing scientific productivity
of Keck Observatory has been unprecedented and has revolutionized
astronomy. It is my privilege to be involved in our growing
Advancement initiatives, which introduce our organization’s
accomplishments, assets, and spirit to individuals who are
excited about our observatory and can contribute enormously
to its continued success.”
Goodwin is happy to consult with individuals who are considering
their philanthropic options, to help them find the best fit
for their unique situation. One possibility is a program that
Keck’s Office of Advancement rolled out in April. Keck Associates
is a new giving club that invites individuals to contribute
at planetary ($1,500), stellar ($3,000), and galactic ($10,000)
annual giving levels. Goodwin applauds Carol and Clive Davies,
the first couple to enroll in the program. Download
the Keck Associates application for membership details.
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| Photo: Clive (left) and Carol (right) Davies
introduce their friend Annarie Shallenberger (middle)
to Evenings with Astronomers. Photo by Sarah Anderson. |
“We are contributors to the Keck Observatory
because it is involved in significant scientific research
to further human knowledge of the universe and because
it is located at the top of Mauna Kea on the Island of
Hawai‘i where we live. The advances made in recent years,
such as the use of adaptive optics, have made the resolution
of terrestrial observations orders of magnitude better
than before and have added immensely to mankind’s fundamental
understanding of the formation of the universe. Keck Observatory
has inspired us to learn more about the very interesting
subject of astronomy and cosmology. At university years
ago I received undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in
physics before embarking on a career in the semi-conductor
industry. I retired four years ago and the interaction
with the Keck Observatory has been intellectually stimulating
as well as fun.” - Clive Davies
“When we retired to Hawai‘i, my concern was
the potential lack of intellectual pursuits on the island.
I have spent most of my working life at NASA, pursuing
exploration of our own solar system. So I was delighted
to find that the telescopes, and especially Keck, provided
monthly lectures to the public, which we immediately started
to attend. Thoroughly enjoying these, we followed up by
learning more about astronomy and cosmology ourselves:
especially via Alex Filippenko's lectures with the Teaching
Company. We stand in awe of the amount of information that
can be obtained about our universe and are excited that
we are reaching back to the very beginning of time. We
now understand the role that the Keck Observatory, with
its adaptive optics technology and wonderful staff and
researchers, has played. We wish to help in the continuation
and expansion of that role.” — Carol Davies
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| Photo: David and Nike Speltz capture their
reflection in a Keck telescope mirror segment stored
in the Observatory’s “Mirror Barn.” Photo by David Speltz. |
David Speltz spent his career as a turn-around CEO in distressed
hospitals, working with staff, boards, and creditors to revitalize
these important community assets. David became acquainted with
the treasures harbored in the night sky at a young age, as
a Boy Scout in the 1950s. With the popularization of the low-cost
Dobsonian telescope in the 1980s, the world of astronomy really
opened up to him. David now uses scientific cameras to photograph
deep sky objects which are invisible to the naked eye, participates
in public observing events with the New Hampshire Astronomical
Society, and donates observing time to local non-profits, including
the New Hampshire Seacoast Science Center, for fund-raising
events.
“Sometimes we forget the importance of humility
and thoughtfulness in the day to day world of work and
daily routine. Being outside at night, sometimes in bone-chilling
temperatures, seeing objects that are almost beyond our
imagination, millions of light years away, reminds us of
who we are, and are not. Giving that experience to others
is one of my greatest pleasures, and I know most other
amateur astronomers share that feeling.
Visiting Keck was one of the high points of the last few
years for me. I have observed the southern skies through
a telescope in the middle of Botswana with no lights within
200 miles, seen an extraordinary solar eclipse in the Kurdish
part of Turkey, and then another in Zambia, and experienced
5-year-olds screaming at delight at seeing Saturn for the
first time through my 155mm refractor. My visit to Keck falls
into this category of never-to-forget experiences. Keck has
the enviable position of being in one of the finest and most
accessible locations in the world. Its cutting edge scientific
achievements keep those of us who might have been scientists
but never were, enthralled and proud of what we as humans
can accomplish. It is our pleasure to be, in some small way,
a part of the Keck community.” — David Speltz
Keck Observatory humbly acknowledges that every gift, at any
level, fuels the observatory’s mission to advance human understanding
of our universe. 
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