PPA History
Publications associated with PPA go from 1968 to the present. These are important historical records and you can find them in the Publications section of this site.
This PPA History page adds to the historical record with lists of events, PPA officers, photos, anecdotes, and anything else of interest to PPA members and other planetarians.
This page will always be a work in progress, and as of 2022 the progress is just beginning. Contributions are welcome!
Email John Erickson.
An aurora projector. Adapted from the cover of The Pointer, 9/1968.
The Founding of PPA
This is according to conversations at the 2021 Oldtimers Get-Together on Zoom. (9min, 45sec)
In 1967 there was funding from the National Defense Education Act (a program in response to Sputnik) to convene small meetings of educators. Thus met planetarians at Foothill College in Los Altos, CA to form the Pacific Planetarium Association with Lee Bonneau as the first president.
PPA Presidents through the epochs:
"All officers shall serve two-year terms, beginning in even numbered years, at the moment of Earth’s perihelion."
— From the current PPA Bylaws. Earlier in PPA history the term was one year.
A page dedicated to the memory of Pacific Planetarium Association members who have passed away, but remain with us in our memories and hearts.