A pioneering aerospace physicist and alumnus has been honored by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with the naming of the Arthur J. Pejsa Observatory.
A plaque-unveiling reception will be held Wednesday, May 8, at 1 p.m. at the main lobby pendulum in the UW-Stevens Point Science Building, 2001 Fourth Avenue. Chancellor Bernie Patterson will share remarks at 1:30 p.m., with optional tours of the observatory at 2 p.m.
Contact Sarah Newby at the UWSP Foundation 715-346-3908 or snewby@uwsp.edu for more information.
A native of Custer, Pejsa began his collegiate career at Stevens Point’s State Teachers College in 1940. He left the university to serve as a B-29 pilot in World War II and survived 30 combat missions over Japan. After the war, he returned to finish his degree and taught two courses in mathematics as an undergraduate student. He graduated at the top of the class in 1947, with a degree in mathematics and minors in physics and history.
Pejsa’s career as an aerospace physicist included work on the Apollo and space shuttle missions while working at Honeywell. Prior to that, he taught both mathematics and physics at the U.S. Naval Academy. He is considered one of the foremost ballistics experts in the country and is an accomplished author. He and his wife, Jane, live in Minneapolis, Minn.
The Arthur J. Pejsa Observatory is located on the roof of the Science Building and is open to the public for viewing during the school year. For more information on observatory and planetarium programs at UW-Stevens Point, go to www.uwsp.edu/physastr/plan_obs.
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