Albert Edward Whitford (1906–2002)
Received 2003 April 28; accepted 2003 April 28
Former Bruce Medallist and renowned astronomer Albert E. Whitford died 1 year ago on 2002 March 28 at the Meriter Health Center in Madison, Wisconsin, close to the place of his birth.
Fig. 1.— Portrait of Albert Whitford taken by Madison photographer Harold Hone in approximately 1950.
I initially met Albert Whitford when I attended my first AAS meeting held in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1946 September. Joel Stebbins was director of Washburn Observatory, and Albert was his major collaborator. At that time, the director lived in the large house next to the Observatory and operated an independent research arm of the University. When Whitford replaced Stebbins in 1948, he did not move into the director’s house, nor did he continue the separation between the Observatory and the College of Letters and Sciences that had existed. That was typical of Albert: he was a modest man and did not need a domain of his own.
He was born in Milton, Wisconsin, on 1906 October 22, where he received his early education and a B.A. in physics from Milton College in 1926. He started graduate studies in physics at the University of Wisconsin the following fall. In an oral interview conducted in 1989, Albert described his entry into astronomy: “It was during the Depression, and I was offered a job working with an astronomer where I was doing the technical chores that he needed to have done, that physicists were supposed to know more about, measuring very small currents, and the currents introduced me to astronomy.” The astronomer was the director of the Washburn Observatory, Joel Stebbins. Stebbins was, at that time, pioneering in the use of photocells in astronomy and needed to know how to improve the performance of these detectors. Albert had that knowledge. He obtained an experimental electrometer tube and constructed the first vacuum‐tube amplifier for astronomical applications. By placing the photocell and amplifier in a vacuum, the noise produced by cosmic rays was greatly reduced, and by refrigerating the system another advance was made. Stebbins could now make measurements of stars some 5 mag fainter.
When Albert completed his Ph.D. in physics, he continued to work with Stebbins and would accompany him to Mount Wilson Observatory. He had, by this time, decided to become an astronomer and in 1933 accepted a position at the California Institute of Technology, where he continued to work with Stebbins at Mount Wilson. In 1935, he returned to Wisconsin. In the next 5 years, Whitford honed his mastery of astronomy and continued the fruitful collaboration with Stebbins. During World War II, Albert worked at the MIT Radiation Lab for 5 more years, returning to Wisconsin as an associate professor in 1946. Photomultipliers with more efficient photocathodes were now easily available as a result of wartime applications, as were new infrared detectors, and Albert immediately adapted them to astronomical purposes.
Fig. 2.— Albert Whitford, Rudolph Minkowski, Joel Stebbins, and Walter Baade at Mount Wilson Observatory before dinner at the “Monastery.” This photograph was taken around 1937.
Together, Stebbins and Whitford developed the six‐color photometric system, which provided a powerful tool for the study of stellar colors and interstellar reddening. However, it was not initially intended for the study of stars. They had wanted to measure redshifts of faint galaxies by measuring their colors. In order to calibrate the photometric system, they started to measure the colors of stars. The results of the stellar measurements became so interesting and fundamental that it was a decade later before they got back to looking at galaxies. When they did, they encountered an unexpected puzzle. Galaxies were redder than they should be if redshift were the only thing affecting the color. This was called the “Stebbins‐Whitford effect,” and it puzzled theoreticians for several years. This was not resolved until narrowband absolute spectral photometry was developed at Wisconsin.
I had the good fortune to come to Washburn Observatory shortly after Whitford took over the directorship, following Stebbins's retirement. I worked with Albert and William Morgan on photometry of the OB stars that delineate the spiral arms of our Galaxy. At that time, Albert was extending photometric capabilities to the infrared with lead sulfide detectors and germanium cells. With this, he extended the six‐color interstellar extinction curve to 2 μm. This “Whitford reddening curve” is still used as a standard for average extinction. During these years, I learned a great deal because he had a great deal to teach me, and he was generous in doing so. It took a little while to get used to his mannerisms. Sometimes, you would make a statement or ask a question and silence would ensue. If you were patient, however, a very thoughtful response resulted. I supposed he wanted to be sure before answering. To my knowledge, he was always right. He also offered words of wisdom in the form of stories, some I suppose he learned from Stebbins. A story I always remember was about a professor of geology who had written a textbook from which he continued to give lectures year after year. One day, he told his students that millions of earth are carried down the Mississippi each year. A student raised his hand and said, professor, a million what, tons, cubic yards, what? The professor looked at his book and then said, it doesn’t say. The story never needed another telling; reference to “millions of earth” was sufficient. One of the morals was that if it doesn’t say, you will have to go find the answer yourself. Albert always did.
Albert’s insight was also sought by others. He played a key role in the creation of the National Observatory during this time, and later he chaired the first decade study, the “Whitford Report,” which became the model for all subsequent reports. His leadership was sought because of the clarity of his thinking and his ability to smooth ruffled feathers. He left Wisconsin in 1958 to accept the directorship of Lick Observatory, where he pushed through the completion of the 120 inch reflector. During this time, Albert served as president of the American Astronomical Society. His research accomplishments and public service were well recognized by his colleagues. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1954 and awarded the Henry Norris Russell Lectureship of the American Astronomical Society in 1968. He received the Catherine Wolfe Bruce Gold Medal of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific in 1996. While he made a great impact on the national sciences scene, he was also a participant in political activities. Albert retired in 1973 but continued research and interactions with his colleagues. In 1996, he returned to Wisconsin, where he had an office and often had lunch with graduate students to keep abreast of the times, and his presence was an inspiration to young students.
I have many fond remembrances of my contacts with Albert and reminders of his contributions. As the Pine Bluff 36 inch telescope was nearing completion, Albert chose to depart from the traditional drab gray of telescope mounts to a brighter blue. This paint became known as Whitford blue. Not as scientifically significant as the Whitford reddening curve, but when I see telescopes and instruments with bolder colors, I think of Albert. He was a close friend, advisor, and collaborator, and I miss him. In his passion to learn and create, he spent long hours at his work. His wife, Eleanor, would frequently ask him if he were a man or a monk. Yes, he was both of these, a great man and serious scholar.