After 30 years as a member of the astronomy faculty, Professor Gerald Newsom is moving – but not far.Newsom sat in his office surrounded by blueprints and boxes, signs of the astronomy department’s upcoming move this summer to McPherson Chemical Laboratory. Despite the clutter, Newsom leaned back in his chair, smiled, and indicated that everything was under control. And if it’s up to him, things will stay that way.Coordinating the move to McPherson means more work added to Newsom’s already busy schedule. Normal tasks include: orchestrating the evaluation of all faculty members who are not full professors, correcting a mistake in the department’s budget and arranging for a student to shadow faculty members. It came as no surprise that his “In” box was overflowing with paperwork.As vice-chairman of the astronomy department, Newsom said his typical day is spent “putting out fires” and reacting to crises.In 1991, the department was sent reeling after OSU abruptly withdrew from a telescope project in Arizona resulting in the resignation of the dean and department chairman. Newsom was appointed acting chairman, and was able to get the department back on its feet. The department is once again funding the telescope project.”Nobody knew if the department would survive,” Newsom said. “Out of that, things came together just beautifully and we ended up with just a terrific department.”Newsom believes his role as administrator in the potentially disastrous situation of 1991 is his greatest accomplishment.Newsom came to Ohio State in 1969 after receiving his doctorate from Harvard. He first became interested in astronomy in the sixth grade.”We started studying it in school,” he said, “and I ran into a couple of people who were about my age or a couple of years older who were amateur astronomers, and it clicked.” Newsom said he had always wanted to teach. He enjoys the contact with students and likes to talk about astronomy with a captive audience. The best part of teaching involves delivering information to students that is both new and interesting, he said. To bolster his teaching he continues to learn himself.Several years ago, Newsom took a rowboat trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. During a lunch break in the upper canyon, he photographed the view. Later, he put the picture on a calendar, which now hangs on his wall.”It fits me,” Newsom said, referring to the scene with fondness. “The calendar is now three years old, but I just put new months on and keep the same picture.”He said the photographs taken on his trips are his most prized possessions because they bring back the wonderful memories. His favorite trip was to Easter Island, located in the south Pacific Ocean, in 1991.”It’s so far away. It’s the most isolated, inhabited spot on earth,” Newsom said. “You could stand in the middle of the island, you could look all the way around, and you could see surf wherever it hit.” After he retires, Newsom wants to travel more. He hopes to return to Easter Island, as well as attend an astronomy meeting in Australia in 2003. Newsom said he also hopes to visit New Zealand and Africa.Newsom also plans to do a lot of reading when he retires. However, he doesn’t think he’ll leave OSU altogether. He said it is common for vice-chairs to stay around and continue some of their responsibilities.”There are parts of the job I enjoy much more than others, and if I can work it out so I can do the things I really enjoy, it will give me a lot more freedom to travel.”He has many goals to achieve before he retires, though. In 1999, his biggest goal is to coordinate the successful move to McPherson.”If anything goes wrong, it’s my fault,” Newsom said. “But I’m sure there’ll be a lot that’ll be right, and I’ll get a lot of credit for that, whether I deserve it or not,” he said, laughing. “I can’t complain.”