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DONALD D. DAVIS

Born: Jun 19, 1935

Date of Passing: Mar 09, 2004

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DONALD D. DAVIS June 19, 1935 - March 9, 2004 We announce the peaceful passing of Donald, following a series of cumulative health difficulties. Born in Bennington, Vermont, he lived and worked mostly in Philadelphia, Montreal, and Winnipeg. A service to remember the gifts his life brought to others will be held on Tuesday, March 23 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at The Sanctuary, 610 Rue Lafleche, in St. Boniface.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 20, 2004

Condolences & Memories (4 entries)

  • I remember Don and Virginia as neighbors in St Vital, Winnipeg. I cleared their driveway a few times and Don (Mr. Davis to me) must seen something in this unfocussed youth. In the early 70s, I worked for Don at the Planetarium of the Museum of Man and Nature as a part time technician, and running evening and weekend planetarium shows at 15 yrs of age. Don, a true Gentle Man. I have fond memories of him, and credit him with sparking my interest of all things technical. - Posted by: Allen Barrett (Neighbor / Employee) on: May 23, 2019

  • In 1966 Don was the Director of Planetarium Dow in Montreal. Early in the year, when the planetarium was still under construction, and at that point the Zeiss Planetarium Projector had become operational, Don performed a demonstration for those of us who hoped we might be lecturers after the theatre opened. The event was awesome. No music, no special effects — just Don and the night sky. It changed my life. After I had lectured for several months I asked Don if I could produce a show. Don encouraged me and during my time there I was able to produce several shows. Because of that experience, in 1968 I was off to Toronto to produce shows for the new McLaughlin Planetarium. By 1976, when I travelled to direct the planetarium in Winnipeg, Don was living in that city. We remained friends there until I moved to British Columbia in 1989. I spent 20 years working in planetariums, and I loved it... and it would never have happened if it were not for the caring mentorship and encouragement from Don. Thanks Don! - Posted by: Robert J. Ballantyne (Colleague, friend) on: Jan 19, 2016

  • I was in grammar school when my father mentioned the courses at the Fels Planetarium. Every Saturday I'd walk up the Ben Franklin Pkwy to his courses in astronomy in the planetarium or the Franklin Institute lecture hall. Joe Oddo and George Gerba and I benefitted from his learning and clarity. His encouragement in science helped. I did physics in college and ended with a PhD in biochem. I've tried to look him up, unsuccessfully, in recent years. May I tell all of his wit, warmth, wisdom and gentleness to us all. God Bless Him! - Posted by: George S Salzmann (Student at The Franklin Institute/Fels Planetarium, Phila PA) on: May 13, 2015

  • On a rainy Wednesday night in December 1964, my dad took me to the Fels Planetarium in Philadelphia (admission was free on Wednesdays). After the performance, the lecturer invited us up to see the 13” refractor and 24” reflector on the roof of the museum. I was the only kid (10 years old) among the small crowd who took up his invitation. After a few remarks, he spotted me and gave me a small diffraction grating mounted in a cardboard 35mm slide holder. He told me to hold it to the light to see a rainbow. I did, wanting to impress him, said something about measuring the red shift of quasars using the spectrum. This had the intended effect, because he ran off and came back with a small stack of Sky & Telescope magazines, which he gave to me. The mailing address on the magazines was “Donald D. Davis”. A few weeks later, my parents gave me my first subscription to that magazine (it had comet Ikea-Seki on the cover). I’ve had a subscription ever since and that’s helped sustain my interest in astronomy through years of cloudy nights. I saw him a few times after that at the museum, but lost touch a few years later. I’ve wondered what happened to my early benefactor. The internet gave me a few clues, but the trail went cold after the mid-70s. So I was sad today when I found his obituary on-line today. Henry Adams said "A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." It's clear tonight in Seattle, so I'm taking my telescope out to show my 12-year old daughter Saturn. I owe it to Mr. Davis. - Posted by: John McConnell (acquaintance) on: Jul 22, 2014

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