Fred Marschak was honored at a name dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday afternoon alongside family, friends and former colleagues.

Assistant Principal Kevin McCloskey said Marschak played an “absolutely critical role in transforming our analog planetarium into a quarter-of-a-million-dollar digital state-of-the-art facility.”

The outdated equipment the planetarium previously utilized was installed during the 1969-70 school year, Marschak said, and remained operational until about 2006.

As the system was “antiquated” and upgrade costs were so steep, chemistry teacher Lynette Luke said the district was going to use the planetarium as a storage closet.

Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School Assistant Principal Kevin McCloskey (left) shakes hands with Fred Marschak during planetarium dedication ceremonies on Friday. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

That was until 2016, when Jill Dillman-Stull’s son Nathan, a sophomore at the time, approached the Hollidaysburg Area Education Foundation to see what could be done.

“They took us in and everyone’s tentacles went out,” Dillman-Stull said.

Luke said once they hit $100,000 through fundraising, the school promised to match the rest.

It was students like Nathan Stull who Marschak credited with his getting involved in the project.

“The reason I joined the group that was raising money, starting fundraising, and so forth is because it was student-

Former Hollidaysburg Area High School teacher Fred Marschak looks at the original planetarium projector on display at the school’s cafeteria during a luncheon that followed the ribbon cutting of the Marschak Planetarium on Friday. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

initiated,” Marschak said. “And to me, that really means an awful lot.”

When asked if he expected the planetarium to be named in his honor, Marschak looked surprised and said “I had no idea.”

“I’m deeply humbled to have this named after me,” Marschak said. “I think the hardest thing you’re going to have to do is teach people how to spell our last name.”

The most important thing for Marschak, however, is “that now there’s a place that we’ve created where future generations can look up and see what’s up in the sky, and especially in our area.”

“We only have 60 clear nights a year here in central Pennsylvania, so it’s nice to have some place where you can look up and see a nice, clear, clear sky,” Marschak said. “It’s a real thrill to me.”

Former Hollidaysburg Area High School teacher Fred Marschak cuts the ribbon officially dedicating the school's upgraded planetarium in his honor. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

McCloskey said Marschak served as the planetarium’s original director for nine years before teaching earth and planetary science at the Santa Barbara City College in California and running the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History planetarium for almost 40 years.

“His former students often describe him as warm-hearted, enthusiastic and endlessly patient — qualities that define truly great teachers,” McCloskey said.

Upon his retirement, Marschak and his wife Nancy returned to Hollidaysburg “full steam” and “determined to bring new life to a planetarium that had once been his classroom,” McCloskey said.

Marschak volunteered his time by putting on planetarium programs, conducting meteorite programs and even donating his own meteorite collection to the district.

McCloskey said Marschak “knew he wanted to be a teacher” since ninth grade and “that purpose has carried him through nearly five decades of service.”

A plaque commemorates the impact former teacher Fred Marschak had on the Hollidaysburg Area School District. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

“Across classrooms, museums, planetariums and communities, his life’s work reminds us that education is not defined by a job title or a paycheck,” McCloskey said. “It is a lifelong commitment to inspiring others.”

Those wishing to attend programs held at the planetarium can see announcements and schedules on the Hollidaysburg Planetarium Facebook page or on its website, astroprof.com.

Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor-Musselman is at 814-946-7458.