Grove City Messenger - September 5th, 2021

PAGE 8 - GROVE CITY MESSENGER - September 5, 2021
By Linda Dillman
Staff Writer
The Borror Observatory in the former
Hoover Y-Park on Rohr Road was once a
mecca for local stargazers who looked to
the skies through the lens of a homemade
10-inch reflecting telescope.
Built out of concrete blocks in 1961, with
a 14-foot dome donated by Columbus
Astronomical Society (CAS) member
Charles Worch, the observatory was a
memorial to Ed Borror, who passed away
in 1960 and whose financial contributions
made the park possible.
According to Charles Legg–who spent
many hours as a teenager volunteering at
the observatory and served as its de facto
director–not long after it was built, the
observatory fell into disuse until Legg was
approached by a member of the YMCA who
told him about the situation.
“When I was16, I volunteered at COSI
doing planetarium lectures and was a
member of the CAS,” said Legg, 73. “I met
Jim Wagner, who worked at the Southside
YMCA. He told me about the situation with
the observatory. He expressed concern that
no one was using the observatory for its
intended purpose–to provide public open
houses and its use by amateur
astronomers. I was fairly ambitious back
then at 16, so I expressed an interest in visiting
the observatory, checking the condition
of the telescope and building, and seeing
what I could do to help.”
Legg visited the site and found the
building dirty, with spider webs everywhere,
but the telescope was covered and
in good condition. Wagner met with Legg’s
parents, who agreed their son could help
correct the situation, although his mother
had reservations about her son having a
key to the observatory.
“In the end, it all worked out, and there
was never a problem,” said Legg.
“However, my dad had to take me to the
observatory and pick me up until I received
my drivers' license. Since I was still an
active member of the CAS, it was not too
much trouble stirring up interest, primarily
with the younger members; the 13-17-
year-olds.”
According to Legg, the observatory
became a focal point for younger members
of the CAS.
“In some ways, members of the CAS ran
its operation through me, but there was
never an official connection to the CAS, we
were just all members of the CAS,” said
Legg. “By that time, we had formed the
Junior Astronomers of Columbus. It was a
rebellious time in the 1960s. Over time, I
believe we disbanded and just were once
again members of the CAS. We would meet
on Saturday afternoons when we would
clean up the building and kill the wasps
who loved to build homes in the dome. They
did not like the vibrations when we rotated
the dome.”
Work parties on occasion addressed
issues such as painting old wooden chairs
in the room below the telescope and the
weathering dome, which also needed a new
coat of silver paint donated by a local store.
Legg worked out a deal with a company to
donate a gas heater for the wintertime and
the Southside Y to supply the propane.
The youths were also creative in obtaining
items such as a blackboard, bookcase,
and a table through donations.
“Some Saturday nights, 25 to 50 people
might show up, especially when something
astronomical was in the news, such as a
comet or a meteor shower,” said Legg.
“Other members and I were on local TV
shows. It was primarily to promote the
observatory and get people to visit. We
were on frequently for a show that followed
Flippo on Channel 10. We seemed to have
better attendance for a few weeks after
doing the publicity. Scout groups were also
frequent visitors. Some scouts were interested
in getting their astronomy merit
badges.”
Mini-lectures on astronomical subjects
were often presented before taking visitors
up to the telescope and CAS members
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would set up their own telescopes around
the observatory for the public to view
objects.
“With the observatory telescope, you
could see the rings of Saturn, the moons of
Jupiter and its Great Red Spot, the crescent
shape of Venus, the white polar cap of
Mars contrasted with the red surface. All
these were visible at one time or another
during a year,” Legg said. “Most visitors
were just amazed at what they could see
when looking into the eyepiece of a telescope.
They would ask, ‘Is that real, or is it
a photograph?’ We would then put our
hand in from of the telescope, and the
object would disappear.”
Another favorite viewing destination
was the moon. Legg said everyone sees the
moon in the night sky all the time, but
until you look at it through a high-powered
telescope, you have not seen the moon.
The theft of the observatory’s original
homemade telescope was discovered early
one Saturday evening. Security was always
a problem since the site was out in the
country and rather isolated even though a
caretaker lived nearby.
“We found broken windows several
times, but there were not many valuable
items kept there because of the problem,
other than the telescope,” said Legg, who
continued to be in charge of the observatory
until 1968, when he graduated from
high school.
A new, smaller, yet more powerful commercial
reflecting telescope replaced the
one stolen, but it, too, was taken after a few
years. Legg believes after the second telescope
disappeared, activities stopped at the
observatory, but is unsure since he was
attending college and no longer involved
with the observatory.
Legg said he had always been a lifelong
learner, and much of that learning started
when he was at the YMCA Observatory
and the COSI Planetarium. The observatory
was special to him because it allowed
him to indulge in all of his passions at one
time.
“I learned from fellow amateur
astronomers,” said Legg. “I was doing what
I enjoyed and educated children and older
adults every time we had an open house.
As a side benefit, I made many friends,
young and old. My strength is an extensive
technical understanding; my passion is
learning, doing, and teaching.”
Photo courtesy of Charles Legg
This is a rear of the Borror Observatory in the former Hoover Y-Park on Rohr Road back
in the days when it was operational.