J. CAMPBELL FAHRNER (1917-2009) joined the Calgary Centre in 1970 while employed by TransAlta Utilities as Hydro Plant Superintendent.

He was Registrar for the 1976 General Assembly and was elected to the Centre Council a year later, becoming Treasurer in 1980, a position he held for ten years. During this period he was responsible for the wise management and investment of the $47,000 grant obtained for the Wilson Coulee Observatory. Members outside Calgary got to know and appreciate Cam's warm personality as he was on the National Council in the '80s and attended a number of General Assemblies.

He took an interest in education and presented a paper at the '84 GA on "The Construction of the Wilson Coulee Observatory and at the '89 GA on "The Mars Observing Program." He has been the RASC representative on SERG (Society of Educational Resource Groups), a large group of organizations that work with School Boards to provide tours to complement in-school programs. For several years, he has been a judge at the Junior Science Fair.

Cam Fahmer credits three events with his attraction to Astronomy and to the Society:

Early interest was sparked by seeing Saturn with its rings when a geologist set up his telescope at a Scout meeting. [I] listened to a series of lectures by Peter Millman ... on CBC ... [and] Sam Litchinsky invited [me] to an RASC meeting.

Luckily for the Society, these events culminated in a long and effective association, marked by the presentation of the Service Award to Cam Fahrner in 1985.

—Peter Broughton (from Looking Up)