Edward A. Halbach

Halbach, Edward A. Age 102, passed away March 20 2010. Ed Graduated with a BSE and MS degrees from Marquette University. He was a noted amateur astronomer, winning the distinguished Franklin L. Burr Award (later awarded to Jane Goodall and Richard B. Leakey) in 1948 for leading National Geographic solar eclipse expeditions around the world. As an engineer at with AC-Delco in Milwaukee, WI, he worked on missile guidance systems. Working for Allis-Chalmers, then Siemens-Allis, he developed several electro-mechanical devices for diesel locomotives. He was a founder of the Milwaukee Astronomical Society, for which he was the Observatory Director for 35 years. He led National Geographic expeditions to Burma in 1948, Labrador in 1954, and British Somalia in 1955, to collect scientific data on solar eclipses. When a 20 pound piece of Sputnik 4 fell in the middle of the road in Manitowoc, WI, it was brought to Ed's house for examination until NASA collected it. He married Jane E. Roth at St. Catherine's Parish, Milwaukee. They were married for 67 years. He is survived by their six children: Kathryn Boileau of Reston, VA, Richard Halbach of Cumming, GA, Mary Nordlie of Bloomington, MN, Margaret Palmer of Dallas, TX, Elizabeth Rockwell of Bloomington, MN, and Joanne Moore of Racine, WI; 18 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife. He continued his astronomy after retiring to Estes Park, CO, recording data from what are known as variable stars into his mid-90's, reaching an all-time high of 100,000 measurements. He and Jane, active in Habitat for Humanity, were honored for their work when Estes Park named Halbach Lane after them. Visitation is at First Memorial Funeral Chapel, Edina, MN, March 27, 5:30-7:30 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, March 28, 10:30 AM at the Church of Saint Peter, Mendota, MN, with burial at Resurrection Cemetery after the service.