About W. M. Keck Observatory
W. M. Keck established the Keck Foundation in 1954, and his will established trusts to benefit the Foundation, as well as the University of Southern California, Stanford University, Pomona College, and Occidental College. According to W. M. Keck's 1985 Keck Foundation biography:
"During his lifetime he made considerable philanthropic contributions – more... in the belief that individuals rather than government should take the lead in charitable giving."
Photo: Howard B. Keck, W. M. Keck's son and Chairperson of the Keck Foundation at the time of the W. M. Keck Observatory funding. Photo courtesy of Keck Observatory archives.
Howard B. Keck was the second of W. M. Keck's six children. Howard later served as President of the Keck Foundation, and it was Howard who was responsible for the unprecedented $70 million gift to Caltech in 1985, which financed design and construction of the Keck I Telescope. Like his father, Howard B. Keck was willing to take a risk, with the prospect of a "home run" on the horizon. The ten-meter Keck Telescope would be four times more powerful than its predecessor. According to the Keck Foundation's January 3, 1985 news release which announced the grant, Howard B. Keck had great expectations for the new telescope, which would utilize the latest technological breakthroughs in its design and construction. According to the Foundation news release, these are Howard's words when he announced the gift:
"This proposed grant is historic in both its size and purpose. The Keck Ten-Meter Telescope will enable us to see much farther than we can see today and help to discover how the universe began ... Ten-Meter Telescope to be at the forefront of optical astronomy for many decades into the 21st century." Howard B. Keck took a huge risk when he committed nearly a fourth of the Foundation's assets to fund this monumental project (both the Keck I and Keck II Telescopes). Twenty+ years later, in hindsight, it is easy to weigh the outcome of Howard Keck's bold gamble. The legacy of discovery being forged by the W. M. Keck Observatory continues to astound the scientists who have the privilege of working here, as well as the rest of the citizens of our global community.
Photo: Howard B. Keck (left), Chairman and President of the W. M. Keck Foundation, and Dr. Marvin L. Goldberger (right), President, California Institute of Technology, view a model of the Keck Ten-Meter Telescope. Image and caption from the Keck Foundation press packet for the January 3, 1985 announcement of the Keck Observatory grant.
"What attracted the Keck Foundation to this particular project is that the Foundation has been interested in making a significant gift to further the interests of science and the interests of mankind and mankind's learning of why we exist, and this project satisfies that particular interest of the Foundation." - Mr. Julian von Kalinowski, Director of the Keck Foundation at the time of the 1985 gift to Caltech In November 1990 the first nine mirror segments were assembled into the telescope structure and tested. The initial images from Keck I's first light were equivalent to the images being obtained by the Palomar Observatory - and this was prior to the installation of the remaining 27 mirror segments. After the successful demonstration of the segmented mirror concept, the Keck Foundation committed to fund a second ten-meter telescope adjacent to Keck I. In April 1991, the Keck Foundation announced a second grant of roughly $59 million to fund eighty percent of the cost of constructing the Keck II Telescope.
Photo: Keck I Telescope construction photo showing the dome arch girders. Photo courtesy of Keck Observatory archives.
"The twin telescopes ‘will answer many questions about the universe in which we live' and ‘enrich every single human being.'" - Thomas Everhart, president of the California Institute of Technology, AP press release, April 27, 1991 Today, the Keck telescopes enable scientists to peer back in time to the dawn of the universe and to measure the expanding universe. Keck astronomers are studying the black hole at the center of our galaxy and identifying planets around nearby stars - one of which is likely to support life. We are learning to understand the life cycle of our own solar system and of other suns, some of which are vastly dissimilar to our own. We are redefining the basic rules, the previously defined boundaries, and our fundamental understanding of our cosmos based on the scientific evidence being collected by the Keck Telescopes.
Photo: Keck I Telescope nearing completion. In the foreground is the 36th and final mirror segment (in crane) being lowered into position as part of the primary mirror. Dr Jerry Nelson (front left) stands with some of the technicians and engineers involved with assembling the Keck I segmented mirror. Photo dated Tuesday, April 14, 1992, courtesy of the Keck Observatory archives.
T. J. Keck, a fourth generation Keck, is currently serving as the Keck Foundation's liaison to the Observatory Governing Board. T. J. attends Board meetings and serves in an advisory capacity to Board members, and he is charged with overseeing the Foundation's investment in Keck Observatory.
"The Foundation's mission is to aid in the development of preeminent scientific endeavors. We are interested in taking calculated risks in order to hit home runs. If we are only hitting singles and doubles then we are not taking enough risk or operating far enough along the cutting edge. We consider the Keck Observatory to be a ‘Home Run' and continue to support our original investment with additional investments in next generation systems like adaptive optics to maintain its status as the world's premier ground-based observatory." – less – More from ZoomInfo »
