VAAS HISTORY
about the Virginia Association of Astronomical Societies Convention
The mission of VAAS is to be a forum for cooperation and collaboration between the clubs of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Through annual meetings, attendees come away with new friendships, fresh ideas, and knowledge of what other societies are doing around the state and beyond.
VAAS was founded as a result of a joint meeting in 1975 between the Richmond and original Norfolk Astronomical Society. The annual event is open to societies and the interested public across Virginia and surrounding states. Hosting of the event is passed around participating Virginia societies. A fixed host rotation was implemented after 1995 when for the 2 years prior the convention host society faltered on having the event.
Much of the following information was gathered from Glen Howell and is located on the Richmond Astronomical Society website. Thanks for the history lesson.
| Year | Site | Society | Chairman | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Richmond, VA | Richmond Astronomical Society and original Norfolk Astronomical Society | - | Link |
| 1976 April 17 | Richmond, VA | Richmond Astronomical Society | - | Link |
| 1977 and 1978 | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | - |
| 1979 | NASA Langley Research Center (Hampton) | Tidewater Amateur Telescope Makers | Joe Guth | Link Link |
| 1980 May 16-18 | Science Museum of Virginia (Richmond) | Richmond Astronomical Society | Ray Butzner | Link |
| 1981 May 30-31 | Old Dominion University (Norfolk) | Astronomical Society of Tidewater | Leonard W. Scarr | Link |
| 1982 May 15 | Chesapeake Planetarium (Chesapeake) | Tidewater Amateur Telescope Makers | Don Wright | Link |
| 1983 May 21 | Science Museum of Virginia (Richmond) | Richmond Astronomical Society | - | Link |
| 1984 May 19 | Tidewater Community College (Suffolk) | Tidewater Community College Astronomical Society | - | Link |
| 1985 May 25 | Patrick Henry Community College (Martinsville) | Piedmont Astronomy Club | Ray Durand | Link |
| 1986 May 10 | Va. Western Community College (Roanoke) | Roanoke Valley Astronomical Society | - | Link |
| 1987 May 2 | Science Museum of Virginia (Richmond) | Richmond Astronomical Society | - | Link |
| 1988 May 14 | Tidewater Community College (Suffolk) | Back Bay Amateur Astronomers & Tidewater Community College Astronomical Society | Glendon Howell | Link |
| 1989 May 6 | Va. Museum of Natural History (Martinsville) | Piedmont Astronomy Club | - | Link |
| 1990 May 19-20 | Tidewater Community College (Suffolk) | Tidewater Community College Astronomical Society | - | Link |
| 1991 Jun 8 | Science Museum of Virginia (Richmond) | Richmond Astronomical Society | - | Link |
| 1992 May 30 | Univ. of Va. (Charlottesville) | Charlottesville Astronomical Society | - | Link
Link |
| 1993 | Event was canceled | - | - | Link |
| 1994 | Event was canceled | - | - | Link |
| 1995 Apr 1 | - | Roanoke Valley Astronomical Society | Britt Rossie | Link |
| 1996 Apr 13 | Chesapeake Planetarium (Chesapeake) | Back Bay Amateur Astronomers | Kent Blackwell | Link |
| 1997 Sep 27 | Randolph–Macon College, (Ashland) | Roanoke Valley Astronomical Society | Terry Barker | Link
Link Link |
| 1998 | Event Was Canceled | - | - | - |
| 1999 Nov 6 | Chesapeake Planetarium (Chesapeake) | Back Bay Amateur Astronomers | Kent Blackwell | Link
Link |
| 2000 Sep 22-24 | (Charlottesville) | Charlottesville Astronomical Society | - | Link
Link |
| 2001 Oct 13 | Va. Western Community College (Roanoke) | Roanoke Valley Astronomical Society | John J. Goss | Link
Link |
| 2002 Oct 5 | Randolph Macon College (Ashland) | Richmond Astronomical Society | Terry Barker | Link
Link |
| 2003 Nov 15 | Chesapeake Planetarium (Chesapeake) | Norfolk Astronomical Society | Glendon L. Howell | - |
| 2004 Oct 16 | University of Virginia (Charlottesville) | Charlottesville Astronomical Society | Mark Klosinski | Link
Link |
| 2005 | Va. Western Community College (Roanoke) | Roanoke Valley Astronomical Society | - | - |
| 2006 Sep 30 | Randolph Macon College (Ashland) | Richmond Astronomical Society | Terry Barker | Link
Link Link |
| 2007 Oct 6 | C. M. Crockett Park (Midland) | Northern Virginia Astronomy Club | - | Link |
| 2008 Sep 20 | James City County Library (Williamsburg) | Norfolk Astronomical Society (NAS) and the Virginia Peninsula Astronomical Society (VPAS) | Glendon Howell | Link
Link Link |
| 2009 Sep 12 | University of Virginia (Charlottesville) | Charlottesville Astronomical Society | - | Link
Link Link |
| 2010 Oct 9 | Roanoke College (Salem) | Roanoke Valley Astronomical Society | John Goss | Link
Link Link Link |
| 2011 Oct 1 | Tidewater Community College (Virginia Beach) | Back Bay Amateur Astronomers | Chuck Jagow | Link |
| 2012 Sep 15 | Heart of Virginia Scout Reservation (Maidens) | Richmond Astronomical Society | Betty Wilson | Link |
| 2013 Oct 5 | C. M. Crockett Park in Midland, VA | Northern Virginia Astronomy Club | David Werth | Link
Link |
| 2014 Sep 27 | Event Was Canceled | Norfolk Astronomical Society | - | Link |
| 2015 Oct 3 | University of Virginia (Charlottesville) | Charlottesville Astronomical Society | Steve Layman | Link
Link |
| 2016 Oct 29 | Roanoke College (Salem) | Roanoke Valley Astronomical Society | Frank Baratta | Link
Link Link Link Link Link |