Waxing and Waning a Memoir of an Amateur Astronomer

At five years of age I discovered the stars. I could not get much information on them until the age of twelve when a high school student and amateur astronomer took me on as a partner and I was on my way to a life of studying the stars. It was at high school I learned I did not have what it takes to get the degrees needed to become a professional astronomer and all my work would have to be as an amateur. I did not let this stop me and I started work in the field of variable stars and worked with several notable groups including the AAVSO, Columbia University with the center of backyard astrophysics, Douglas Hall at Vanderbilt University as well as a doctorial student and then post doc. student at UCLA on active galaxies. This work lead me to be included as a co-author on several astronomical papers. I was now working with big boys. My book "Waxing and Waning a Memoir of an Amateur Astronomer" is the true story of all the trials and road blocks I faced, always coming back to astronomy and carrying on my own research projects from my homemade backyard observatory. A life time of astronomical work is presented as my love of the night sky stayed with me all my life.