by Joe Matthews

After thinking about joining  AAAP for about 5 years, I finally made my decision on December 31, 2022.  I have been interested in Astronomy since reading Issac Asimov’s 1968 book, “The Universe from Flat Earth to Quasar’s”.  I wanted to go to University after High School but finances were tight, so I enlisted in the US Navy.  While stationed at Pearl Harbor circa 1975-1977, I enjoyed a few astronomy classes at the University of Hawaii.  My favorite course was given by, if I recall his name correctly, Dr. William Hickox, our textbook was by Shipman “Black Holes Quasars & the Universe”.
After enlistment, life got in the way and I worked various jobs finally working in Information Technology mainly as a Network Engineer and retired in 2019.  In retirement, I have renewed the goal of my youth and have been self-studying Astronomy, spending time on GalaxyZoo, observing and devoting a lot of time to Astrophotography.