Sidney W. McCuskey | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 28, 1907 Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio |
| Died | April 22, 1979(1979-04-22) (aged 72) Cleveland, Ohio |
| Alma mater | Case School of Applied Science Massachusetts Institute of Technology Harvard University |
| Occupations | Mathematician and astronomer |
Sidney Wilcox McCuskey (February 28, 1907 – April 22, 1979) was an Americanmathematician andastronomer. He was director of theWarner and Swasey Observatory and named emeritus professor of astronomy atCase Western Reserve University.
He was born inCuyahoga Falls, Ohio on February 28, 1907, the son of Charles McCuskey and Lottie (née Wilcox).[1] In 1925 Sidney became anamateur radio hobbyist.[2] He matriculated to theCase School of Applied Science where in 1929 he was awarded a B.S. inCivil Engineering. The following year he received his M.S. in mathematics from theMassachusetts Institute of Technology. After a stint at surveying, he was influenced byJason John Nassau to study astronomy atHarvard University. There his graduate adviser was the Dutch-American astronomerBart Bok.[3] Receiving his astronomy Ph.D. in 1936[4] with a thesis titledThe Determination of Radial Velocities with the Objective Prism,[5] Dr. McCuskey accepted a job with the department of mathematics at hisalma mater, the Case Institute of Technology.[6]
Following his service during theSecond World War, he became the Levi Kerr professor of mathematics and astronomy, and chair of the department of mathematics atCase Western Reserve University (CWRU). During this period he served as an assistant to Jason John Nassau at theWarner and Swasey Observatory. Following Nassau's retirement in 1959, Dr. McCuskey was named director of the observatory and chairman of the department of astronomy for the university. He became the first to occupy the Warner Chair of Astronomy at CWRU, and would hold that position until he retired as professor emeritus in 1975.[3]
Dr. McCuskey was a member of theAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science and theAmerican Astronomical Society (AAS);[2] during 1955–1958 he was a councilor for the AAS and in 1966–1968 he served as vice-president.[7] He was an active member of theInternational Astronomical Union, serving as vice-president of commission 33 during 1967–1970 and president of the same in 1970–1973. He is noted for his contributions to knowledge of theMilky Way galaxy and he wrote several books on mathematics and astronomy during his career. Dying at the age of 72,[3] he was survived by his wife Jeannette (née Scott) and their two sons.[8] Theminor planet2007 McCuskey is named after him.[9]
