Then there was the truck driver who was travelling south from Edmonton to Calgary but had stopped in Red Deer specifically to call us at the observatory to report the sighting of a persistent object that was tracking him as he drove down the highway. This did not entirely satisfy him since he asked what it would be used for and, when I told him that it would tell us the time, he exclaimed in a voice of doubt and disbelief “Can you not afford a decent clock?” He joined the rest of the gathering to admire this work of art and agreed that it would make a fine symbol to remember this occasion. As she did so, he exclaimed “What on Earth is that?” at which I whispered “A sundial”. He arrived somewhat late and joined me on the outside of the group of invitees inside the classroom as the distinguished guest, Dr Margaret Burbidge, ended her remarks and moved to unveil the large sundial that had been designed by our engineer Tim Kirkham and built in the Physics Department workshop. My next memory was of comments made spontaneously by the land agent who had secured the gift of land for us on the occasion of the official opening on January 7 th, 1972. Our relationship with the county and particularly our neighbours has been wonderful ever since, with the occasional invitation to join us for a barbeque on the observatory grounds or for an observing evening with the telescopes. My answer was that “It would be difficult for the main telescope to point below the horizon and anyway, the resulting view would be upside down, the telescope being designed for astronomical use.” And again, this answer seemed to satisfy the committee and approval was readily given. The second question was “If you were to use your telescope to look at neighbouring farms and houses, would this be potentially intrusive?”. Knowing that much of this county was rural in nature with farming as a major part of its economy, I replied that “It would look like a very short silo” which led to immediate knowing nods. The first, and very reasonable, question was “What will the observatory and the proposed dome look like from the road?”. After some general discussion by the committee, two questions were asked and answered that led both to some laughter and to approval of the project. I had accompanied Gerry Tersmette, the Project Manager from the University’s Buildings and Grounds Department, to provide answers to questions on the proposed observatory development. My first recollection of a discussion that had important implications for the future of RAO was at the hearing with the Foothills Municipal District authorities to obtain permission to build the observatory. Over the years, occasional comments or observations by visitors and staff at the observatory have left indelible memories and deserve to be recorded.
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