John Crossen, the founder of Buckhorn Observatory and an enthusiastic astronomy educator, passed away yesterday (March 22) after a long illness.
He was 73 years old.
John’s wife, local journalist Deb Crossen, announced his passing in a public Facebook post:
A native of Midland in Michigan, John had a life-long interest in astronomy and, later, astrophotography. He moved to Canada in 1967, where his day job was as an advertising copyrighter, working on award-winning ad campaigns for clients including major automakers and breweries.
John and Deb married in 1986. Living in Toronto, they travelled north on the weekends so John could see the stars. When John retired, they decided to move to Buckhorn in 1999.
“John’s astronomy hobby was the main driving force in the decision of the location for our new home,” Deb writes in her 2006 book Chick with a Chainsaw, in which she documents her transition to rural life.
“We could only see 63 bright stars from our backyard in the city so wherever we ended up had to be under darker skies.”
Within a year of moving to Buckhorn, John built an observatory on their property, equipped with a retractable roof, so he could indulge his retirement hobby.
Soon, local astronomy enthusiasts, neighbours, and tourists began dropping by to look through the telescope and hear John talk about the planets and the stars.
The building was dubbed the Buckhorn Observatory and opened to the public in 2002.
“I quickly discovered that it was more fun telling people about astronomy and showing them celestial targets through my telescopes than it was sitting alone guiding an astrophoto for hours,” John wrote in a story for NASA’s Solar & Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) website in September 2008.
“So one year and only two exposed rolls of film later, Buckhorn Observatory became an impromptu education/outreach centre. Since then the observatory has acquired a portable planetarium which makes for an exciting astronomy presentation with schools, scout groups and the annual Astronomy Day outing of the Peterborough Astronomical Association.
“Because most of my work with schools takes place during the daylight hours, I purchased a Baader white light solar filter and a portable refractor telescope for the outdoor portion of my daytime astro-presentations.”
At its peak, Buckhorn Observatory averaged around 500 visitors each year, mostly during the summer months. Originally, tours were free and then John began charging a modest fee to keep the observatory running.
In addition to guiding tours through the observatory, John also gave talks on astronomy at various organizations and groups, including the Kawartha Field Naturalists, schools, scouting groups, seniors, and professional groups.
He was involved in the Peterborough Regional Science Fair and at the Holy Cross Science Show (where he was a judge), and made annual appearances at Astronomy Day in Peterborough.
“I wish I’d started teaching basic astronomy ten years earlier,” John wrote in his SOHO story. “I never knew retirement could be so rewarding — or so busy.”
With the assistance of Deb, he ran the observatory’s website and wrote a monthly newsletter. He wrote a weekly stargazing column in the Lakefield Herald, appeared on CHEX TV, and also wrote articles for The Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.
He was a past president and active member of the Peterborough Astronomical Association (PAA).
John was also an advocate for reducing light pollution, making presentations to both the City of Kawartha Lakes and Trent Lakes city councils.
In 2014, when he was 70 years old and began experiencing health issues, John closed the Buckhorn Observatory to the public.
However, John’s legacy to astronomy will live on. Last summer, PAA volunteers tore down the old building and built a new platform to house a new domed observatory building.
The new observatory — which will be used by PAA members only — includes a new telescope, a computer/monitor, and an array of eyepieces including a binocular setup for the telescopes.
In addition to his interest in astronomy, John was also a lyricist who collaborated with his musician and friend Terry Bush on many songs — including “Maybe Tomorrow”, the theme from the Canadian TV series The Littlest Hobo.
According to his wife Deb, John was proud of his contribution to Canadian music and television, and millions of Canadians and others around the world will remember the lyrics John wrote:
There’s a voice that keeps on calling me
Down the road is where I’ll always be
Every stop I make, I’ll make a new friend
Can’t stay for long, just turn around and I’m gone again.
Maybe tomorrow, I’ll want to settle down,
Until tomorrow, I’ll just keep moving on.
VIDEO: “Maybe Tomorrow” with music by Terry Bush and lyrics by John Crossen
There will be a drop-in celebration of John’s life at the Buckhorn Community Centre (1782 Lakehurst Rd., Buckhorn) from 12 to 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 8th.
The celebration will feature a video chronology of John’s life, set to music created by John and Terry Bush.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested a donation to the Buckhorn Regional Health Centre or Buckhorn Community Centre.
