Ford Observatory to be dedicated Oct. 26

The life and work of a longtime Holton educator whose efforts to bring the stars closer to Holton and Jackson County will be celebrated at a Saturday, Oct. 26 dedication ceremony at the Banner Creek Science Center and Ford Observatory, it has been reported.

The observatory has been renamed for the late Mike Ford, a former Holton High School teacher who opened a school-owned observatory in 2000 and who was instrumental in the development of the science center and observatory, located at 22275 N Rd. west of Holton, into what it is today.

“We were so saddened with Mike’s passing last year,” said Cari Andrews, science activities director at the science center. “We wanted to think of a way to honor him and all he had done for the science center and our mission to provide science education to the community. It was decided to name the observatory after him.”

The Ford Observatory will be dedicated on Oct. 26 at the science center, with doors open at 6 p.m., followed by a flute trio performance, featuring Ford’s wife Karen, at 6:30 p.m. and a dedication ceremony and presentation at 7 p.m. A night sky observation will be held starting at 8 p.m., featuring the observatory’s 24-inch telescope, which Ford helped to make a part of the observatory in 2018.

The community is invited to the dedication ceremony, which is a free event for all ages, according to science center officials.

Banner Creek Science Center and Observatory began in 2000 as Elk Creek Observatory, built north of Holton High School and promoted as “the only high school-owned observatory in the world.” The observatory, a 20-foot-by-20-foot facillity, included a 14-inch telescope, robotic mount and fiberglass dome, all funded by a grant, written by Ford and wife Karen, that brought in more than $31,000 for that purpose.

In 2003, Elk Creek Observatory upgraded to a 16-inch telescope, and the next year, it received a new dome and a 20-inch telescope. The observatory earned attention and respect from national astronomy programs and from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, but Ford believed the observatory had the potential to be bigger and better.

“When we were down to a 20-foot-by-20-foot facility, there was no heat,” Ford told The Holton Recorder in 2014. “Or it would be hot in there — more than 100 degrees. But the kids would still want to go down there and work… We’d have mosquitoes and other bugs. You name it, we had it. But the kids wanted to be there.”

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