Robert S. Richardson
Robert S. Richardson was an influential American astronomer and author born in 1902 in Kokomo, Indiana. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of California at Los Angeles and later obtained a doctorate in astronomy from the University of California at Berkeley. Richardson began his career as a staff astronomer at the Hale Observatory during the Great Depression and remained there until 1958, when he became the assistant director of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. He was also a prolific writer, producing numerous books that ranged from academic texts to popular science literature. His notable works include "Exploring Mars," aimed at juvenile readers, and the young adult novels he published under the pseudonym Philip Latham, which featured scientifically accurate plots and relatable characters. Richardson's contributions to science communication were recognized with the Children's Science Book Award in 1971 for "The Stars and Serendipity." He passed away in 1981 in Altadena, California, leaving a legacy of engaging and educational literature in the field of astronomy.
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Robert S. Richardson
Writer
- Born: April 22, 1902
- Birthplace: Kokomo, Indiana
- Died: November 1, 1981
- Place of death: Altadena, California
Biography
Robert Shirley Richardson, an astronomer and author, was born in Kokomo, Indiana, in 1902, the son of Joel Howard Richardson, a salesman, and Arlene Moore Richardson. Richardson attended the University of California at Los Angeles, where he received his bachelor’s degree in 1926. He then entered the graduate program in astronomy at the University of California at Berkeley, receiving a doctorate in astronomy. Graduating in the dark days of the Great Depression, Richardson, who by this time had married Delia Shull and had family responsibilities, was glad to be offered employment as a staff astronomer at the prestigious Hale Observatory (now the Mount Wilson Palomar Observatory) in Pasadena, California.
His first wife died in 1940, and Richardson later married Marjorie Helen Engstead, with whom he had a daughter. Richardson remained at the Hale Observatory until 1958, when he became assistant director of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. He retired in 1964 and devoted his remaining years to writing books, mostly popular but scientifically sound treatments of astronomical subjects.
Richardson’s early books, published from 1927 until the late 1940’s, were academic treatises or textbooks, several written in collaboration with William T. Skilling. He entered the field of juvenile literature in 1954 with the publication of Exploring Mars, which was published in the United Kingdom as Man and the Planets.
Richardson also wrote two young adult novels under the pen name Philip Latham. In these novels, Richardson’s plots and characters are firmly grounded in scientific fact, and his fictional astronomers are thoroughly likable, approachable, and antiheroic. Richardson also used the Philip Latham pseudonym to write television scripts for the Captain Video series in 1953. His short stories in Analog, the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and Colliers were similarly published under the name Philip Latham.
Richardson received the Children’s Science Book Award from the New York Academy of Sciences in 1971 for his young adult nonfiction book, The Stars and Serendipity. This book and The Star Lovers are generally considered his best works. Richardson died in 1981 in Altadena, California.