JOHN JEFFERIES Obituary

JOHN TREVOR JEFFERIES John Trevor Jefferies left us in his sleep on January 18, 2024 in Tucson, Arizona. Born in Kellerberrin, Australia in April 1925, he lived a full life with a successful career in astronomy, which took him from rural Australia to Colorado, New Mexico, Hawaii, and finally retirement in Tucson. Along the way were stops at tropical islands for solar eclipses, travel for work and fun around the world with his wife Charmian, and the joy of new interests in retirement. John played a pivotal role in developing the astronomy program at the University of Hawai'i. Recruited to build a small program in solar astronomy, he moved to Oahu in 1964. Seeing the potential for world-class observatories on the mountaintops of Maui and Hawai'i islands, his bold vision and leadership led to the creation of the University of Hawai'i's Institute for Astronomy. As the Institute's founding Director, he built a community of scientists and engineers from around the world to join him in turning his vision for the Institute into reality. He also worked with other countries to build a series of major telescopes on the tops of Mauna Kea and Haleakala. Today the Institute is an internationally recognized research facility and one of the largest university astronomy programs in the world. During his time in Hawai'i he received a Guggenheim Fellowship and published his book, Spectral Line Formation. As John later wrote of this time, "there is nothing in my professional life that approaches the fulfillment of the years in Hawaii, nor anything that will replace the fellowship generated in our striving to build something of real and permanent value from the very ground up." A near-Earth asteroid, which was first spotted by a UH telescope, officially bears John's name Asteroid (357243) Jefferies. John and Charmian moved to Tucson in 1983 when John became founding Director of the National Optical Astronomy Observatories. In 1987, he returned to research in solar physics, working for NOAO and the Jet Propulsion Lab. In retirement, he devoted much of his time to painting, exhibiting his work in several one- and two-person shows and in many Tucson venues as part of larger exhibits. He also wrote his memoirs, played bridge and tennis, traveled with Charmian, read poetry and found a new enjoyment in cooking. John was a renaissance man physicist, leader, artist, author but at heart, he was a genuine, humble, caring human being with a steadfast strength of character. He is sadly missed by all he touched with his warmth, kindness, and generosity. John is survived by his children Helen (Johnny) Dearmore, and Trevor (Shirley) Jefferies; grandsons Alex, Charlie, Nicholas (Margaret), Ian, and David. May he rest in peace in Heaven with his beloved wife Charmian, his son Stephen, and his daughter Gabrielle. For more details on John's life, please see: https://about.ifa.hawaii.edu/history/john-jefferies-visionary/ https://home.ifa.hawaii.edu/users/jefferies/Preface.htm https://www.aip.org/history-programs/niels-bohr-library/oral-histories/4693