Tom Back 1957

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Date: 21 Sep 2007 14:44:51
From: RMOLLISE
Subject: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

In case y'all haven't heard...from the TMB Yahoogroup :-( ...

I am the brother of Thomas Back, and I am very sorry to have to inform
the group that Thomas passed away last Thursday, the 13th. As many of
you know, he was very ill for a long time, yet his passing was sudden
and unexpected. We take comfort in knowing that he is in a more
peaceful place.

Thomas is also survived by his mother, Olga, and his father, Lester.
We are all extremely proud of Tom's accomplishments and stature in the
fields of astronomy and optics. We will miss him very much, and we
know that he will also be missed by his many friends, fans, and
customers, including the members of this group.

Sincerely,
Charles Back

Date: 23 Sep 2007 11:11:37
From: Rick Evans
Subject: Re: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

Date: 22 Sep 2007 20:45:06
From: Jar-Jar Binks
Subject: Re: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

This is a very sad time for amateur astronomy. Tom was an exceptionally
talented person and I hope that his timeless designs will live on for many
years. My condolences to Tom's family.

"RMOLLISE" <rmollise@hotmail.com > wrote in message
news:1190411091.264426.95590@k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
> In case y'all haven't heard...from the TMB Yahoogroup :-( ...
>
> I am the brother of Thomas Back, and I am very sorry to have to inform
> the group that Thomas passed away last Thursday, the 13th. As many of
> you know, he was very ill for a long time, yet his passing was sudden
> and unexpected. We take comfort in knowing that he is in a more
> peaceful place.
>
> Thomas is also survived by his mother, Olga, and his father, Lester.
> We are all extremely proud of Tom's accomplishments and stature in the
> fields of astronomy and optics. We will miss him very much, and we
> know that he will also be missed by his many friends, fans, and
> customers, including the members of this group.
>
> Sincerely,
> Charles Back
>

Date: 22 Sep 2007 18:14:06
From: RMOLLISE
Subject: Re: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

On Sep 22, 6:53 pm, John Steinberg <see...@bottom.invalid > wrote:
> RMOLLISE <rmoll...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > I am the brother of Thomas Back, and I am very sorry to have to inform
> > the group that Thomas passed away last Thursday, the 13th. As many of
> > you know, he was very ill for a long time, yet his passing was sudden
> > and unexpected. We take comfort in knowing that he is in a more
> > peaceful place.
>
> Quem di diligunt, adolescens moritur
>
> --
> -John Steinberg
> email: n...@thistime.invalid

For those who've forgotten their schoolboy latin:

"He whom the gods love dies young..."

Too true.

Unk

Date: 22 Sep 2007 19:53:04
From: John Steinberg
Subject: Re: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

RMOLLISE <rmollise@hotmail.com > wrote:

> I am the brother of Thomas Back, and I am very sorry to have to inform
> the group that Thomas passed away last Thursday, the 13th. As many of
> you know, he was very ill for a long time, yet his passing was sudden
> and unexpected. We take comfort in knowing that he is in a more
> peaceful place.

Quem di diligunt, adolescens moritur

--
-John Steinberg
email: not@thistime.invalid

Date: 22 Sep 2007 18:15:14
From: Jan Owen
Subject: Re: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

"John Steinberg" <seesig@bottom.invalid > wrote in message
news:220920071953043497%seesig@bottom.invalid...
> RMOLLISE <rmollise@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I am the brother of Thomas Back, and I am very sorry to have to inform
>> the group that Thomas passed away last Thursday, the 13th. As many of
>> you know, he was very ill for a long time, yet his passing was sudden
>> and unexpected. We take comfort in knowing that he is in a more
>> peaceful place.
>
> Quem di diligunt, adolescens moritur
>
> --
> -John Steinberg
> email: not@thistime.invalid

I'm for sure not the correct person to accept your condolences here..

But let me assure you that you're welcome in giving them here...

Hearing from you has always been a two edged sword... Your wit and
intelligence has always been GREATLY appreciated, while your often negative
perspective has led to your living in my killfile...

I ALWAYS appreciate hearing your witticisms, if we could do without the
political implications (trust me, Howard would say the same about me)...

--
Jan Owen

To reach me directly, remove the Z, if one appears in my e-mail address...
Latitude: 33.6
Longitude: -112.3
http://community.webshots.com/user/janowen21

Date: 22 Sep 2007 06:49:05
From: Dave Mitsky
Subject: Re: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

On Sep 21, 5:44 pm, RMOLLISE <rmoll...@hotmail.com > wrote:

Edit

I met Tom years ago at Pocono Mountain Optics and would run into him
from time to time at events like the NEAF and the Black Forest Star
Party. It was always a pleasure to converse with him. Of course, his
talent as an optical designer goes without saying.

Rest in peace, Tom.

Dave Mitsky

Date: 22 Sep 2007 20:37:24
From: ike
Subject: Re: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

Was it an accident or what?

>
> Rest in peace, Tom.
>
> Dave Mitsky
>

Date: 22 Sep 2007 16:01:57
From: Jan Owen
Subject: Re: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

PLONK!!!

--
Jan Owen

To reach me directly, remove the Z, if one appears in my e-mail address...
Latitude: 33.6
Longitude: -112.3
http://community.webshots.com/user/janowen21
"ike" <ike@cbc.org > wrote in message news:82fJi.7725$nO3.6320@edtnps90...
> Was it an accident or what?
>
>>
>> Rest in peace, Tom.
>>
>> Dave Mitsky
>>
>
>

Date: 22 Sep 2007 20:36:14
From: ike
Subject: Re: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

Was it an accident or something?

>
> Edit
>
> I met Tom years ago at Pocono Mountain Optics and would run into him
> from time to time at events like the NEAF and the Black Forest Star
> Party. It was always a pleasure to converse with him. Of course, his
> talent as an optical designer goes without saying.
>
> Rest in peace, Tom.
>
> Dave Mitsky
>

Date: 22 Sep 2007 22:33:41
From: VicXnews
Subject: Re: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

"ike" <ike@cbc.org > wrote in news:21fJi.7724$nO3.1337@edtnps90:

> Was it an accident or something?

I am very sorry to have to inform
the group that Thomas passed away last Thursday, the 13th. As many of
you know, he was very ill for a long time, yet his passing was sudden
and unexpected. We take comfort in knowing that he is in a more
peaceful place.

http://groups.google.com/group/sci.astro.amateur/browse_thread/thread/6b1b5ab20223ea45/62544e54114587c1#62544e54114587c1

Date: 23 Sep 2007 00:28:39
From: ike
Subject: Re: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

I as many others express our condolences. He created top-of-the-line
line optics for astronomy. What now?

>We take comfort in knowing that he is in a more
> peaceful place.
>
>
> http://groups.google.com/group/sci.astro.amateur/browse_thread/thread/6b1b5ab20223ea45/62544e54114587c1#62544e54114587c1

Date: 22 Sep 2007 23:43:26
From: ike
Subject: Re: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

I as many others express our condolences. He created top-of-the-line
line optics for astronomy. What now?

>> Was it an accident or something?
>
> I am very sorry to have to inform
> the group that Thomas passed away last Thursday, the 13th. As many of
> you know, he was very ill for a long time, yet his passing was sudden
> and unexpected. We take comfort in knowing that he is in a more
> peaceful place.

Date: 21 Sep 2007 21:58:55
From: Brian Tung
Subject: Re: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

RMOLLISE forwarded (from Charles Back):
> I am the brother of Thomas Back, and I am very sorry to have to inform
> the group that Thomas passed away last Thursday, the 13th. As many of
> you know, he was very ill for a long time, yet his passing was sudden
> and unexpected. We take comfort in knowing that he is in a more
> peaceful place.
>
> Thomas is also survived by his mother, Olga, and his father, Lester.
> We are all extremely proud of Tom's accomplishments and stature in the
> fields of astronomy and optics. We will miss him very much, and we
> know that he will also be missed by his many friends, fans, and
> customers, including the members of this group.

This is very sad. My condolences to the Back family.

I have fond memories of discussing optics on SAA and learning a lot from
Tom Back.

--
Brian Tung <brian@isi.edu >
The Astronomy Corner at http://astro.isi.edu/
Unofficial C5+ Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/c5plus/
The PleiadAtlas Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/pleiadatlas/
My Own Personal FAQ (SAA) at http://astro.isi.edu/reference/faq.html

Date: 22 Sep 2007 00:27:33
From: Rainy Day
Subject: Re: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

Sad news. He will be missed. Since last year we knew he was
struggling. Thank you for letting people know.

RMOLLISE wrote:

> In case y'all haven't heard...from the TMB Yahoogroup :-( ...
>
> I am the brother of Thomas Back, and I am very sorry to have to inform
> the group that Thomas passed away last Thursday, the 13th. As many of
> you know, he was very ill for a long time, yet his passing was sudden
> and unexpected. We take comfort in knowing that he is in a more
> peaceful place.
>
> Thomas is also survived by his mother, Olga, and his father, Lester.
> We are all extremely proud of Tom's accomplishments and stature in the
> fields of astronomy and optics. We will miss him very much, and we
> know that he will also be missed by his many friends, fans, and
> customers, including the members of this group.
>
> Sincerely,
> Charles Back

Date: 21 Sep 2007 17:17:40
From: Bill Becker
Subject: Re: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

"RMOLLISE" <rmollise@hotmail.com > wrote in message
news:1190411091.264426.95590@k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
> In case y'all haven't heard...from the TMB Yahoogroup :-( ...
>
> I am the brother of Thomas Back, and I am very sorry to have to inform
> the group that Thomas passed away last Thursday, the 13th. As many of
> you know, he was very ill for a long time, yet his passing was sudden
> and unexpected. We take comfort in knowing that he is in a more
> peaceful place.
>
> Thomas is also survived by his mother, Olga, and his father, Lester.
> We are all extremely proud of Tom's accomplishments and stature in the
> fields of astronomy and optics. We will miss him very much, and we
> know that he will also be missed by his many friends, fans, and
> customers, including the members of this group.
>
> Sincerely,
> Charles Back
>

:^(
This is very sad news. I corresponded with him a few times and he was a true
gentleman on every occasion. He will really be missed.
My deepest and sincerest condolences go out to his family and friends.
Thanks, Thomas, for all you did for our beloved hobby.

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Date: 21 Sep 2007 17:34:47
From: Mark D
Subject: Re: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

I just learned of this very sad news myself 5 minutes ago by phone from
another friend of Tom's.

I considered Tom a good friend, a great guy, friendly, he never talked
down to people, would've made a great teacher in schools.

Easy going by nature, lots of fun to be around, and I was personally
unaware of his poor health until a week ago, from another personal email
from a close friend of his.

Tom will be dearly missed by me, a true friend, and I will pray for him
that he is with God in Paradise, and I will never forget him, or the
times I spent with him. Mark

Date: 21 Sep 2007 15:55:20
From: Rich
Subject: Re: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

On Sep 21, 5:44 pm, RMOLLISE <rmoll...@hotmail.com > wrote:
> In case y'all haven't heard...from the TMB Yahoogroup :-( ...
>
> I am the brother of Thomas Back, and I am very sorry to have to inform
> the group that Thomas passed away last Thursday, the 13th. As many of
> you know, he was very ill for a long time, yet his passing was sudden
> and unexpected. We take comfort in knowing that he is in a more
> peaceful place.
>
> Thomas is also survived by his mother, Olga, and his father, Lester.
> We are all extremely proud of Tom's accomplishments and stature in the
> fields of astronomy and optics. We will miss him very much, and we
> know that he will also be missed by his many friends, fans, and
> customers, including the members of this group.
>
> Sincerely,
> Charles Back

Wow! He was a relatively young guy and a great optician. The amateur
hobby, the equipment part were created by people like him. Had he and
people like him not been around, it's unlikely we would have seen
other kinds of telescopes improve they way they did because the high
end refractor helped "push" the SCT, etc, producers towards better
quality.

Date: 21 Sep 2007 15:33:39
From: RMOLLISE
Subject: Re: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

On Sep 21, 5:23 pm, "Jan Owen" <janow...@cox.net > wrote:

> This is REALLY sad news, and tough to hear about...
>
> Suppose I should have been better prepared for this news than I was, but
> such is internet communication...
>
> Best wishes to his family and all his many friends!!!
>
> --
> Jan Owen
>

Hi Jan:

Last time I heard about his condition I was told he was "not good at
all." Still, this was a shock.

Unk

Date: 22 Sep 2007 23:23:24
From: John Savard
Subject: Re: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

On Fri, 21 Sep 2007 15:33:39 -0700, RMOLLISE <rmollise@hotmail.com >
wrote, in part:

>Last time I heard about his condition I was told he was "not good at
>all." Still, this was a shock.

It took me a few moments to look up information about him; the name
didn't immediately ring a bell for me.

I see that he is the person behind TMB Optics. If his work on refracting
telescopes helped to start the current popularity of shoft-focus
apochromats of various kinds, this certainly meant that he was
influential, and if his work encouraged companies specializing in other
kinds of telescope entirely to improve their optical quality, as one
poster wrote, then this certainly has touched us all.

And I see that in addition to a kind of telescope which I might not
personally use, he is also responsible for a series of eyepieces of a
type that would be of direct interest, being intended for planetary
observers, thus broadening the range of those his work could directly
benefit personally.

John Savard
http://www.quadibloc.com/index.html

Date: 23 Sep 2007 09:20:13
From: Jan Owen
Subject: Re: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

"John Savard" <jsavard@excxn.aNOSPAMb.cdn.invalid > wrote in message
news:46f5a291.3132116@news.aioe.org...
> On Fri, 21 Sep 2007 15:33:39 -0700, RMOLLISE <rmollise@hotmail.com>
> wrote, in part:
>
>>Last time I heard about his condition I was told he was "not good at
>>all." Still, this was a shock.
>
> It took me a few moments to look up information about him; the name
> didn't immediately ring a bell for me.
>
> I see that he is the person behind TMB Optics. If his work on refracting
> telescopes helped to start the current popularity of shoft-focus
> apochromats of various kinds, this certainly meant that he was
> influential, and if his work encouraged companies specializing in other
> kinds of telescope entirely to improve their optical quality, as one
> poster wrote, then this certainly has touched us all.
>
> And I see that in addition to a kind of telescope which I might not
> personally use, he is also responsible for a series of eyepieces of a
> type that would be of direct interest, being intended for planetary
> observers, thus broadening the range of those his work could directly
> benefit personally.
>
> John Savard
> http://www.quadibloc.com/index.html

After reviewing your original message more carefully, and my response to it,
it's clear that my response was incorrect, and off base... And I sincerely
apologize for my harsh words...

My initial reaction was triggered by the incorrectly-held belief that Tom
Back was well enough known in amateur astronomy that almost no one would be
unaware of his presence... Yet another example of where assumptions can
take one...

Reflection brought home to me, that at different times over the decades,
I've gotten caught up in a small enough niche (film astrophotography, and
subsets within that, took me almost completely away from visual astronomy
for nearly a decade, as an example, and there have been others, too) to lose
track of other parts of amateur astronomy almost completely. So soon we
forget...

This hadn't occurred to me at the time I responded, but it SHOULD have...
Regardless, you're certainly not bound to maintain detailed familiarity
with every aspect of the wide spectrum of intests that make up astronomy...
And I have NO right to try to impose any such requirements on you, when I
couldn't stand the test myself on many subjects.

My sincerest apologies once again, and thanks as well to Greg Crinklaw for
pointing it out...

--
Jan Owen

To reach me directly, remove the Z, if one appears in my e-mail address...
Latitude: 33.6
Longitude: -112.3
http://community.webshots.com/user/janowen21

Date: 22 Sep 2007 16:50:20
From: Jan Owen
Subject: Re: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

You know, once upon a time, it seemed like you were in tune with amateur
astronomy...

Now it seems you don't have a CLUE...

Whatever.

Tom Back did his part, and then some...

Seems like you don't even have any IDEA about what's happened recently (as
within the last decade or two) with respect to telescope and eyepice
optics...

Ahhh, well, that's YOUR loss, not anyone else's...

--
Jan Owen

To reach me directly, remove the Z, if one appears in my e-mail address...
Latitude: 33.6
Longitude: -112.3
http://community.webshots.com/user/janowen21
"John Savard" <jsavard@excxn.aNOSPAMb.cdn.invalid > wrote in message
news:46f5a291.3132116@news.aioe.org...
> On Fri, 21 Sep 2007 15:33:39 -0700, RMOLLISE <rmollise@hotmail.com>
> wrote, in part:
>
>>Last time I heard about his condition I was told he was "not good at
>>all." Still, this was a shock.
>
> It took me a few moments to look up information about him; the name
> didn't immediately ring a bell for me.
>
> I see that he is the person behind TMB Optics. If his work on refracting
> telescopes helped to start the current popularity of shoft-focus
> apochromats of various kinds, this certainly meant that he was
> influential, and if his work encouraged companies specializing in other
> kinds of telescope entirely to improve their optical quality, as one
> poster wrote, then this certainly has touched us all.
>
> And I see that in addition to a kind of telescope which I might not
> personally use, he is also responsible for a series of eyepieces of a
> type that would be of direct interest, being intended for planetary
> observers, thus broadening the range of those his work could directly
> benefit personally.
>
> John Savard
> http://www.quadibloc.com/index.html

Date: 22 Sep 2007 19:18:33
From: Chris L Peterson
Subject: Re: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

On Sat, 22 Sep 2007 16:50:20 -0700, "Jan Owen" <janowen1@cox.net > wrote:

>You know, once upon a time, it seemed like you were in tune with amateur
>astronomy...

Geez, lighten up. I barely know who he is, just from a few references
here and there. The stuff he was doing in astronomy was stuff of little
interest to me. You can be an amateur astronomer and not know who Tom
Back was.

_________________________________________________

Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com

Date: 22 Sep 2007 19:06:09
From: Greg Crinklaw
Subject: Re: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

Jan Owen wrote:
> You know, once upon a time, it seemed like you were in tune with amateur
> astronomy...
>
> Now it seems you don't have a CLUE...
>
> Whatever.
>
> Tom Back did his part, and then some...
>
> Seems like you don't even have any IDEA about what's happened recently (as
> within the last decade or two) with respect to telescope and eyepice
> optics...
>
> Ahhh, well, that's YOUR loss, not anyone else's...

Man, you really are touchy with regard to your precious refractors. To
be mean-spirited about it with regard to a fellow amateur astronomer,
who simply doesn't share your love of expensive refractors, seems at
this time the height of insensitivity.

Greg

--
Greg Crinklaw
Astronomical Software Developer
Cloudcroft, New Mexico, USA (33N, 106W, 2700m)

SkyTools: http://www.skyhound.com/cs.html
Observing: http://www.skyhound.com/sh/skyhound.html
Comets: http://comets.skyhound.com

To reply take out your eye

Date: 23 Sep 2007 08:26:15
From: Jan Owen
Subject: Re: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

"Greg Crinklaw" <theskyhoundyoureye@yahoo.com > wrote in message
news:97fbc$46f5bbdb$4212a552$5462@TULAROSA.NET...
> Jan Owen wrote:
>> You know, once upon a time, it seemed like you were in tune with amateur
>> astronomy...
>>
>> Now it seems you don't have a CLUE...
>>
>> Whatever.
>>
>> Tom Back did his part, and then some...
>>
>> Seems like you don't even have any IDEA about what's happened recently
>> (as within the last decade or two) with respect to telescope and eyepice
>> optics...
>>
>> Ahhh, well, that's YOUR loss, not anyone else's...
>
> Man, you really are touchy with regard to your precious refractors. To be
> mean-spirited about it with regard to a fellow amateur astronomer, who
> simply doesn't share your love of expensive refractors, seems at this time
> the height of insensitivity.
>
> Greg
>
> --
> Greg Crinklaw
> Astronomical Software Developer
> Cloudcroft, New Mexico, USA (33N, 106W, 2700m)
>
> SkyTools: http://www.skyhound.com/cs.html
> Observing: http://www.skyhound.com/sh/skyhound.html
> Comets: http://comets.skyhound.com
>
> To reply take out your eye

My precious refractors?

I own an old 60mm f/15 achro (circa 1970's) for old-times' sake, and a 94mm
f/7 Brandon APO, circa 1990. That's all... Not a TMB anything in my stuff;
not even eyepieces...

I also own a 5.5" SNT, an 8" Newtonian, a 10" SCT, and 12" and 13.1"
Newtonians... Nothing in there that's very fancy, as near as *I* can see.
Fairly balanced, with different scopes for different purposes... No
bragging-rights scopes. Just observing hardware...

And that wasn't my point...

My point was, simply, that Tom Back was pretty well known in amateur
astronomical circles, and he earned that by his own work. The scopes and
accessories he designed, and sold were excellent on their own merits, and he
will be known for a long time as a result...

Nothing else... Tom Back doesn't need any help from ME to be remembered...
He did just fine by himself...

--
Jan Owen

To reach me directly, remove the Z, if one appears in my e-mail address...
Latitude: 33.6
Longitude: -112.3
http://community.webshots.com/user/janowen21

Date: 23 Sep 2007 09:33:07
From: Greg Crinklaw
Subject: Re: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

Jan Owen wrote:
> My point was, simply, that Tom Back was pretty well known in amateur
> astronomical circles, and he earned that by his own work. The scopes and
> accessories he designed, and sold were excellent on their own merits, and he
> will be known for a long time as a result...
>
> Nothing else... Tom Back doesn't need any help from ME to be remembered...
> He did just fine by himself...

Thats all well and good. I was commenting on your nasty response to
Savard, who as far as I can see, didn't say anything to warrant them.

Greg

--
Greg Crinklaw
Astronomical Software Developer
Cloudcroft, New Mexico, USA (33N, 106W, 2700m)

SkyTools: http://www.skyhound.com/cs.html
Observing: http://www.skyhound.com/sh/skyhound.html
Comets: http://comets.skyhound.com

To reply take out your eye

Date: 21 Sep 2007 15:23:05
From: Jan Owen
Subject: Re: Tom Back 1957 - 2007

"RMOLLISE" <rmollise@hotmail.com > wrote in message
news:1190411091.264426.95590@k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
> In case y'all haven't heard...from the TMB Yahoogroup :-( ...
>
> I am the brother of Thomas Back, and I am very sorry to have to inform
> the group that Thomas passed away last Thursday, the 13th. As many of
> you know, he was very ill for a long time, yet his passing was sudden
> and unexpected. We take comfort in knowing that he is in a more
> peaceful place.
>
> Thomas is also survived by his mother, Olga, and his father, Lester.
> We are all extremely proud of Tom's accomplishments and stature in the
> fields of astronomy and optics. We will miss him very much, and we
> know that he will also be missed by his many friends, fans, and
> customers, including the members of this group.
>
> Sincerely,
> Charles Back
>

This is REALLY sad news, and tough to hear about...

Suppose I should have been better prepared for this news than I was, but
such is internet communication...

Best wishes to his family and all his many friends!!!

--
Jan Owen

To reach me directly, remove the Z, if one appears in my e-mail address...
Latitude: 33.6
Longitude: -112.3
http://community.webshots.com/user/janowen21