Charles Donald Shane (September 6, 1895 – March 19, 1983) was an American astronomer and director of the Lick Observatory of the University of California from 1945 to 1958, during which time he carried out a monumental program of counting external galaxies and investigating their distribution.
Charles N. Shane moved to California in 1886, and worked as teacher in a one-room Lone Star School in Placer County.
He graduated one year early in 1915 and was appointed teaching fellow in mathematics, holding the Lick Observatory Fellowship with residence on Mount Hamilton (California) from 1916-1917 and in 1919-1920.
[1] From 1945 to 1958 he was director of the Lick Observatory of the University of California, during which time he carried out a monumental program of counting external galaxies and investigating their distribution.
Heger had graduated from the University of California in 1919 and received her Ph.D. degree in astronomy in 1924, detecting sodium atoms in interstellar space.
She abandoned her scientific career, gave birth to William Whitney in 1928, raised two small children, and served as hostess at Lick Observatory as the director's wife.