(1911-86) An active observer and member of the Centre français de Montréal. Service Award, 1981.

LUCIEN E. COALLIER (1911-1986) joined the Centre français de Montreal in 1955 and soon began speaking to the group about his favourite aspect of astronomy - the Moon. In 1969, he opened his own observatory which he named "LUNO" after himself, Lucien, and his wife, Nolita. This handsome stone structure in suburban Duvernay housed two 15-cm and 13.3-cm refractors. Coallier was the Centre's Director of Observations from 1969-71, and President of SAM in '78-'80 and again in '82-'83.

Lucien Coallier was widely known for his articles under the heading "Club des Observateurs" in Le Québec Astronornique. He was an inspiration to amateurs of all levels, constantly encouraging them to observe, and especially to make and report observations of use to the astronomical community.

In 1979, he initiated the Concours Annuel de Fabricants de Télescopes Amateur (CAFTA) which is still going strong. He received the RASC Service Award in 1981 and the Méritas trophy of the AGAA in 1983.

—Peter Broughton (from Looking Up)

Further Reading

• R.A.S.C. Papers- A New Amateur Observatory in Montreal, JRASC (June 1970) pp.194-6