-------------------------------------------------------------------
THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 2341      2007 May 28 11.06UT
Ed:Guy M Hurst, 16,Westminster Close, Kempshott Rise,  Basingstoke,
Hants, RG22 4PP,England.Telephone/FAX(01256)471074Int:+441256471074
INTERNET: GUY@TAHQ.DEMON.CO.UK      Backup: gmh@wdcc1.bnsc.rl.ac.uk
WORLD WIDE WEB                         http://www.theastronomer.org
-------------------------------------------------------------------
JOHN LARARD
It is with considerable regret that I must advise you that John Larard 
died last Friday at a nursing home in Camberwell. He had been unwell and 
suffered a series of falls in 2006 but more recently contracted 
pneumonia. The news was conveyed to us today in a telephone call from 
his wife to whom we extend sincere sympathies.

John was the first secretary of the magazine when it was inaugurated as 
'The Casual Astronomers' at a meeting in Caxton Hall on Thursday 1964 
April 2 with Jim Muirden as the founding editor.

Even after ceasing his duties for the magazine he stayed in touch with 
the editorial team and attended one annual meeting of 'The Astronomer' 
in Birmingham where he gave a short talk.

Aside from TA, when I joined the Webb Society it was Ed Barker and John 
Larard who provided wonderful guidance on the art and techniques of 
visual observing. John was very keen on all aspects of deep sky objects 
and encouraged me to attempt to draw star clusters as accurately as 
possible with a view to obtaining as much detail as possible at the 
eyepiece. This guidance remains valuable to this day.

I should add that John's series in 'The Astronomer', which was called 
'From the Night Sky', proved to be vintage observing material and 
readers shared the excitement of detecting a faint nebulae or splitting 
a close double through 'John's eyes'.

We owe a great debt of gratitude to this classical observer and his 
support and hard work for our organisation.

Guy M Hurst