Clinton B. Ford

Clinton Banker Ford (March 1, 1913 – September 23, 1992) was an American investor, musician and amateur astronomer specializing in the observation of variable stars.

In the Spring of 1927 Professor Ralph Curtiss loaned Ford two books: Splendour of the Heavens and The Friendly Stars.

In the back of the latter book's original edition there was an invitation by William Tyler Olcott of the AAVSO to contribute to the advancement of astronomy by observing variable stars.

Ford took Olcott and the AAVSO up on that invitation and on September 23, 1927, he reported his first variable star estimate - 184205 R Scuti at 5.3 magnitude.

Ford's astronomical adventures in Europe were brought to a conclusion when he visited Greenwich Observatory and stood, on May 31, "right below the transit slit, with one foot at 23h 59m 59.999s and the other one at 00h 00m 00.001s."

A year later he gained Professor Heber D. Curtis, famous for his part in the Shapley-Curtis Debate on the nature of the galaxy, as his advisor.

The [5] headquarters of the AAVSO in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is named the Clinton B. Ford Astronomical Data and Research Center.

When he died, aged 79, he bequeathed a substantial endowment to the AAVSO, which continues to serve as its primary source of operating income.