Fritz-Fausnacht/Morrison-Winter Family Tree

Events

Parents

Families

Media

Photograph of Carl Herbert Gamble

Sky Ridge Observatory, 3201 Coaltown Rd. Moline, IL

Web Links

Pedigree

1. Gamble, Charles John
   1. Stamm, Elizabeth
      1. Gamble, Carl Herbert
         1. Abernathy, Clara Christine
            1. Gamble, Carl Abernathy

Ancestors

Gamble, Carl Herbert

Gamble, Charles John

Stamm, Elizabeth

Source References

1. Iowa Marriages Index, 1809-1922
   1. • Citation:

        groom's name: Carl Herbert Gamble
        groom's birth date: 1880
        groom's birthplace: Pennsylvania
        groom's age: 29
        bride's name: Clara Christine Abernathy
        bride's birth date: 1883
        bride's birthplace: Blakesburg, Iowa
        bride's age: 26
        marriage date: 10 Feb 1909
        marriage place: Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa
        groom's father's name: C. J. Gamble
        groom's mother's name: Elizabeth Stamm
        bride's father's name: M H Abernathy
        bride's mother's name: Louisa Fritz
        groom's race: White
        groom's marital status: Single
        bride's race: White
        bride's marital status: Single
        indexing project (batch) number: M02538-1
        system origin: Iowa-EASy
        source film number: 979669
        reference number: p 356

2. Blakesburg Excelsior (Newspaper)
   1. • Date: 1925-01-02
      • Page: 1925-01-02; Microfilm from State Historical Society of Iowa Blakesburg (Wapello co, IA); Excelsior Newspaper, Microfilm from State Historical Society of Iowa; Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Martha Richards
      • Citation:

        LOCAL SHOTS

        Mrs. A. A. DONAHOO received quite a number of Christmas presents, among which was a ten dollar bill, presented to her by Carl GAMBLE of Moline, Ill., in memory of his wife, who was formerly Miss Clara ABERNATHY, and whose request it was that Mrs. DONAHOO should be remembered on Christmas day.

3. Albuquerque Journal (Newspaper)
   1. • Date: 1958-01-26
      • Page: 1958-01-26; Page 4; Column 1
      • Citation:

        Dr. Gamble, Astronomer Dies at Age of 78

        MOLINE, Ill. (AP)—Dr. Carl H. Gamble, 78, businessman and astronomer, died Saturday.

        He was employed for 41 years by John Deere Co. and managed the firm's spreader works until his 1947 retirement. In 1951 he was awarded an honorary doctorate of humanities by Augustana College.

        Dr. Gamble was a writer and lecturer in astronomy, his articles appearing in national magazines. His observatory was one of 85 in the nation officially designated for observations during the International Geophysical Year.

         

4. Agustana College
   1. • Date: 2009-04-28
      • Page: http://www.augustana.edu/x12764.xml
      • Citation:

        A passion for the stars, a mission for Augustana

        In 1969, a Saturn V rocket thrust Apollo 11 towards the moon. That same year, Augustana College threw open the doors to its new John Deere Planetarium and Carl Gamble Observatory.

        Both successfully completed the mission. Neil Armstrong became the first human to step on the moon and Apollo 11's work was done in just eight days. Augustana's mission, giving the knowledge of stars, planets and nebulae to thousands, was open-ended. In fact, its work has stretched over decades of learning and wonder. On May 2, the college celebrated the 40th anniversary of the planetarium and observatory with a special open house.

        How did Augustana College come to have its own planetarium and observatory? It's not usual. Few small liberal arts colleges can boast such facilities.

        [picture of Carl H. Gamble]
        Carl H. Gamble

        A passion for the stars

        In Augustana's case, it all started on a beautiful clear night in January on the roof of the Pioneer Hotel in Tucson, Ariz. A young Moline businessman, Carl H. Gamble, stood on the roof with a friend, admiring the view.

        It was a pivotal moment, Gamble told an interviewer in 1948, some 40 years after the fact. "We had binoculars and my friend remarked, 'The Orion nebula is beautiful tonight.' I had never heard of it. I picked up the binoculars and something snapped inside of me that just set me going on that hobby of mine."

        Gamble returned home and read all the books about astronomy in the public library. He borrowed a telescope but that hardly sufficed. By 1936 he'd founded the local Popular Astronomy Club with more than 100 members. In 1941, he built Sky Ridge Observatory at his home and equipped it with a 5 1/2 inch Zeiss telescope under a dome that was actually the top of a grain silo. Sky Ridge became a community resource he happily shared with anyone who was interested, and it was the headquarters of the club until his death in 1958.

        That's when Augustana entered the picture. The astronomer had willed his observatory, equipment and telescope to the college, and the board of trustees accepted the club's idea that a planetarium should be built along with an observatory for the equipment.

        Groundbreaking was June 19, 1967. The John Deere Planetarium and Carl Gamble Observatory were dedicated May 2, 1969. The project had cost $577,000.

        [picture of Dr. Lee Carkner]
        Director Dr. Lee Carkner gives a presentation to elemenmtary school students visiting the planetarium.

        A teacher's heart

        "What more appropriate symbol might there be of the contemporary world, and man's relentless drive to learn about the universe?" asked college president Dr. C.W. Sorensen at the dedication ceremony. "What better symbol is there of the freedom of inquiry, as man, respectful of his heritage and curious about his future, now peers boldly into space, seeking openly and honestly to explore whatever there is?"

        From its opening until today, the John Deere Planetarium and Carl Gamble Observatory have been visited by thousands of children, students, parents and citizens, reminiscent of the steady stream of people who crowded Gamble's lawn at Sky Ridge for a decade, all looking upward.

        Today, Augustana students use the observatory for telescope viewing sessions in astronomy classes and taking data in classes for physics majors. Astronomy students also use the planetarium, said director Dr. Lee Carkner, but its main function is community outreach.

        This doubtless would have pleased Gamble. Although he served Deere & Co. for 42 years as a manager of one of its largest plants, his heart was elsewhere.

        "This man, in his youth, prepared himself to become a teacher," said Dr. F.M. Fryxell in 1951 when the college awarded Gamble an honorary doctor of humanities degree. "Circumstances diverted him into business. But Carl Gamble remained at heart a teacher.

        "Through the years Carl Gamble has opened the eyes of thousands to unsuspected wonders... He has influenced thousands also by his glowing example of what one man's life can become when it is dedicated selflessly to others."

        The 130mm Zeiss refractor telescope Gamble willed to Augustana is in storage now, replaced by a Celestron C14 computer-driven 14-inch reflector. The Spitz-A-3 projector in the planetarium is still in use and still works perfectly, Dr. Carkner said, though a newer, digital device would make programming easier and offer some new opportunities.

        "Both the planetarium and the observatory will need upgrades as time goes on," he said. "But while the specifics of the programs might change, we will still follow the mission of bringing astronomy to the public."

5. Marriages Wapello County Book 20
   1. • Citation:

        Groom: Gamble, Carl Herbert
        Groom's Age: 30
        Groom's Father: C J
        Groom's Mother: Elizabeth Stamm
        Date: 2/10/1909
        Place: Ottumwa
        Bride: Abernathy, Clara Cristine
        Bride's Age: 27
        Bride's Father: M H Abernathy
        Bride's Mother: Louisa Fritz

6. Riverside Cemetery (Illinois)
   1. • Page: Plot: sec 14
      • Citation:

        Inscription: The Stars he loved so fondly, Guard his sleep.