Regional History Project Oral Histories

Dr. Whitford was director of the Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton from 1959 to 1968. These were transitional years in the history of Lick Observatory. Dr. Whitford oversaw the completion of the 120-inch telescope, and the evolution of Lick Observatory from an independent campus of the University of California, to a sub-unit of the UC Berkeley Campus in 1958, to its incorporation as part of the new UC Santa Cruz campus on November 20, 1964. Whitford's narration not only covers the history of Lick Observatory during this period but also key figures and developments in the science of astronomy itself.