Man stands and spreads his arms in front of a historical observatory
Man stands in a front of a blue fence banner depicting him with astronomy equipment

Chris Clarke is known for his many presentations on the galaxy and solar system at San Bernardino Valley College. But he also played a much more locally focused role: preserving a century of SBVC history. 

As new buildings replaced older ones, Clarke, who worked at SBVC from 1977 to 2017 and ran the Planetarium and N.A. Richardson Observatory, learned that the campus’ wrought-iron gates, brass plaques, desks, and science equipment might be scrapped. 

“At the time there was very little I knew of that was being saved, and I thought it was tragic,” Clarke said. 

He talked to maintenance workers, and with the help of colleagues put the items, some of which dated back to the 1930s, in storage. When the Observatory had space available in 2011, Clarke turned it into a museum. No one knew the Observatory like he did — over the years, he connected more than 60,000 people to the heavens there — and he also put together a booklet sharing its history.  

Clarke — who, along with his parents and siblings, attended SBVC — had always loved astronomy and began helping at the Planetarium as a student at UC Riverside. He was a constant presence, staying on while working in SBVC’s Art Department and at General Dynamics aerospace company. When he was laid off from the company in 1991, SBVC hired him to run the Planetarium full time. He already had running shows down. 

“They were all done with multi-slide projectors, star projectors, special effects, and soundtracks," said Clarke. He handmade show posters, painted a mural in the Planetarium lobby’s pendulum pit, and gave a "Horrors of the Universe" presentation around Halloween. His annual holiday show, about the Biblical star of Bethlehem, was so popular he had to offer extra showings. 

In his role as SBVC’s guide to the stars, Clarke’s programing brought more community members to campus than most traditional outreach efforts. Clarke said he took the motto of his hero N.A. Richardson, the Observatory’s namesake and one of the college’s founders, to heart: “Work hard, and love your work.”