Don Treworgy, May 2009, at the naming of the Treworgy Planetarium
We are saddened to share the news that our beloved Don Treworgy, Mystic Seaport staff member for 48 years, died on September 13.
Today, on this bright and clear September day, we are comforting one another by sharing our stories and recalling this exceptional friend, scholar and gentleman who would not have failed to recognize the simple joys of a glorious late summer day.
Please join us here, in the comments section of our Mystic Seaport blog, and share your stories about life with Don, who made us all richer for the time we spent with him. Honor him with your humor, your recollections, your discoveries and your memories.
If you’d like to look back at some Mystic Seaport photographs of Don over the years, click here.
And if you have photos of your own to share (and you know how important stories, people, photos, history and archiving were to Don!) please share them in our Donald Treworgy Remembered Flickr group.
Mystic Seaport remembers Don Treworgy
One particular morning, as I headed to my office in the Thos. Greenman Bldg., Don stopped me on the sidewalk. He was going to the Greenmanville Church flush with excitement and wanted to show me something.
I was feeling anxious about getting to my desk and digging into the piles of paperwork waiting for me. And then I realized, as his enthusiasm became infectious, that this was one of those moments I shouldn’t miss. I decided the paperwork would just have to wait a few more minutes.
I’m glad I did. These were the best minutes and memories I have of Don. He, taking me inside the Greenmanville Church, explaining the elaborate clockworks and how beautifully it measured the moments of our lives. Me, being awestruck like a little kid at how it did this– how HE did this day after day, year after year.
If I could just stop the pendulum for a swing or two and thank Don for that moment, well… I hope you know, Don. It was very meaningful to me. We rush through life and sometimes forget that it is the little things we share that count the most and that we’ll remember year after year.
: )
“A mighty cedar fell…and all the forest wept with dew and built a river in his memory”
Don was the kindest, gentlest, most selfless man I ever worked for. He was a generous mentor who worked quietly and tirelessly behind the scenes for the greater good. I’ve always thought there were a few angels placed on this Earth to keep it upright, and I knew he was one of them. God’s peace to you, Don! May the Westerly Choir sing you a lullaby.
For many years on the night before Easter, Don would spend the night at my mother’s house because everyone had to be at church so early Sunday morning to sing the morning of Easter services. He would hide HUNDREDS of jelly beans for a few families to come and search for on Easter Sunday. He hid them so well we are still finding them! Mom always laughed so hard whenever she found one…and we STILL find traces of them today. What a wonderful gentleman.
I first met Don some 36 years ago. Then, just a freshman in high school, I had no idea what kind of a role he would play throughout my life. Of course, after knowing Don for some time, you realize that this is just a given. Don had a way of infecting your life like no other I have known. You learned from him, you were inspired by him, and you wished in some way you could be just like him. There have been a few people in my life that I find myself saying “If I could be just one –one thousandth as good a person as he is my time on earth will have meant something.” Of course, I have never come close to that goal, but he has been my guiding star for as long as I can remember. I have never met any individual that had the honor of knowing Don who didn’t consider him a friend for life. There was no escaping it – to know Don was to love him.
When my daughter Sarah became old enough to volunteer at the museum, I steered her towards talking with Don. I knew if she spent five minutes with him her reluctance to work at the planetarium would vanish. She did, and it did, leading to her working with him right through her college years. As with everyone Don met, she blossomed under his embrace. Barely able to talk in front of others, Don soon had her giving lectures on the stars and planets to summer crowds. Don always saw the good in people and their potential, and always brought it out for others to see. A few weeks ago Sarah and I went to see Don and introduce him to the next generation in my family, my daughter’s daughter. Seeing Don hold her and knowing that another generation has had the privilege of meeting him is a moment I will treasure for the rest of my life.
I have dreaded this day, the day when I found out that Don has left this earth for the heavens he loved. I feel like all others – cheated out of the best there is in this life. If I stop to think past this, however, I envision Don striking forward, arms and mind outstretched towards his next great adventure. I am going to go out tonight and see if I can’t find a bright new trail blazed across the sparkling skies. Don, I can’t begin to thank you enough… Love always, Mark Starr
A generation ago two of my teenage daughters attended Don’s astronomy course for young people. Two decades later I came to work at the Seaport and Don’s welcome was “How are Laura and Cindy?” I sometimes have difficulty remembering their names; Don paid attention more carefully than anyone I’ve ever met.
I was working in the Visitor Services Department while I attended College. I remember once in the winter, I was doing homework at the desk on a very quiet, rainy day. Don was walking through after getting his coffee and snack from the bake store and stopped to chat. He stopped to chat and ended up spending a good time helping me work through my math problem. He was always so enthusiastic about educating people. He will be greatly missed.
Don had a passion for the stars, but he also had a passion for people. He held the history of the Museum in his head like no other. He held the institutional memory of volunteers, donors, and members that will be sorely missed. He loved to tell stories about people – who did what and is doing this now, just as much as he told stories about the stars. Working in Membership, whenever we had a question about a former member, Board member or staff member, we’d run over to the Planetarium and ask Don. He’d always know something. And whatever he told us was always positive or framed in a smile. It wasn’t gossip, just fact. An example for all of us. May we all have the positive attitude that Don did.
I remember just a bit over a year ago when I started my current job, Don was someone who took me under his wing. Every morning while walking the grounds I’d see him in his red suspenders smiling. He always checked up on me, and I remember him telling me that if I ever needed anything he’d be there. And I knew he would. Don personified everything that is good about the Seaport. He will be sadly missed.. but I know, that when we all look up to the heavens above we can see him. I am truely blessed to have known him.
One dark night, driving home, a blazing bright thing streaked through the sky, seeming to fall into the horizon ahead of me. Of course, as soon as I got home I emailed Don to ask him what on earth it could have been…
Last night I stood under the stars, searching for another bright streak, and thought of Don.
What a lovely soul – I feel so fortunate to have known him.
I have only worked for the museum for three years, and had the opportunity and pleasure of chatting with Don a lot, but one of my very first and favorite memories was of meeting Don during training. At the end of his planetarium show, he told us that the planetarium was amazing because they could show you what was out beyond the farthest reaches of the most powerful telescopes, out to the edges of space…and what was out there? The air conditioner (at which point a lightbulb was turned on right next to the Planetarium’s air conditioner). Now you know why space is so cold. After that I saw the Planetarium show several more times, and always looked forward to that joke. I still wonder if that lightbulb was installed just for that. I really hope it was. Everytime I walk by the planetarium I will think about Don and smile because I now know why space is so cold.
Don was just amazing! His energy and excitement, so overflowing during many nights in the seminar room, will continue to inspire many more generations of navigators. I feel privileged to have know him, and I will miss him dearly…
Don was magic!
He captured the attention of hundreds of children weaving the mysteries of the stars in a way they could understand.
When I first started in Central Reservations, I would go on tours and attend programs so that I could familiarize myself with what I was promoting. I remember sitting in the Planetarium with school children who eagerly listened to Don spin stories that helped explain our heavens and how sailors used the constellations and tools to open pathways to the world.
He was always remembered as the Starman by students and specifically requested by teachers.
He is a gentle soul and a ray of sunshine that will help light the heavens and perhaps help those that come after navigate their way home.
We miss you Don.
Don had an unbridled enthusiasm that never quit. Every presentation I ever saw him give displayed the passion of somebody approaching the material fresh for the first time. He was an inspiring educator whose passing is a great loss for the museum, the navigation community and education.
On a cold, blustery day in February of 2007, when I had only been working at Mystic Seaport for about two months, I was walking around the grounds changing out my “graphs.” As I passed the gate by the Administration Building, walking towards the Planetarium, this curious man in red suspenders appeared out of what seemed like nowhere. He said “Young lady, do you know what this plant is? It is the first plant that blooms in Connecticut: the Witch-hazel plant!” He informed me that it had just bloomed as he brought me closer to see and smell the fragrant, yellow confetti-like flowers. He said it was a very special experience to be one of the first people to see the Witch-hazel bloom and that I was very lucky. Then of course, Don introduced himself and showed a great interest in me, welcoming me to the Mystic Seaport family. I cannot walk by the Witch-hazel plant without thinking of Don and that cold and wonderful day when he showed me something I might have just passed on by.
We are so lucky to have known this very special man. We should all let a “little bit of Don” live on in us each day- by spreading his knowledge and enthusiasm for nature, the heavens and life.
At times like this, one may overlook the quiet companion who enables an individual like Don to be what he is. So, thank you, Lynn. When I encountered you and Don at McQuade’s not long ago, I experienced this fact of life like never before… Following dinner with Revell in Santa Fe this past Thursday, as we said goodnight, he mentioned the frail thread of Don’s remaining days. Though not given to hyperbole in such matters, Revell used the word “saint” in describing Don. It struck me then and now that the term is rarely more aptly applied. Sure, Don was imperfect and human, but those who felt his kindness, dedication, devotion, constancy, selflessness and empathy may wish to reflect on it. In any case, look to the stars and watch him smile.
When I was working on annotating a whaling journal in the collection of the New London County Historical Society, Don helped me time and again to understand navigating by the stars, using a sextant and how to figure latitude and longitude. As my journal writer learned these skills from his ship’s captain, I learned them from Don, who reminded me that you never know when you will get lost and need to find your way without a map or a GPS. His infectious enthusiasm for learning things and enjoying life and people will stay with me forever. Perhaps these lines from Shakespeare say it best for this “stargazer” we have lost:
“…and, when he shall die,
Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night,…
Don was THE most patient teacher I have ever met. A model and standard for all others. During the celestial nav class I took with him through Williams-Mystic in the early ’80′s, he worked as long as it took, apparently without limit or frustration whatsoever. Almost inhuman! He was then a fellow watch mate on Westward. On return, my housemates and I (Mallory) invited him to a special dinner of thanks. We shopped, cooked, even cleaned. Set a place for Don. Time for him to arrive. No Don. Food getting cold, no Don. This was very unlike him. No one wanted to call to see where he was. In fact, he was so infallible, we figured that one of us must have messed up the invite. Perhaps he thought the invite was for the following night. That must be it! So, we went through the same uncharacteristically high level of cleaning, food shopping, and prep for the next night. A place was set. No Don. For 4 nights, this happened, until we realized that someone had to tell him, despite what would be a possible torrent of self-mortification (or perhaps he had heard about our housekeeping and cooking skills?). Could we stand it? He was, of course, shocked and extremely apologetic that he had forgotten. The next night he rang the bell in full tuxedo with a flaming desert. A true star, more in my memory than almost any teacher I’ve ever had. Also taught celestial nav to my sister, my mother, and my father… who all join me here in Maine, expressing our sorrow that this fine man has passed away.
What an amazing. he touched so many lives. Every time I look up and start naming constellations I think of Don. He touched so many generations of people. He will be missed. I will look tonight to the sky for the brightest star and know its shining for him.
I met Don in 2005 when I became chef on the Amistad…What a wonderful full of life person Don was…We fondly called Don the Wizard…He made the stars come alive for everyone…. When we went to Bermuda Don ask us to get flowers and throw them where the boat Susan Campbell was on sank…and every year he would as me to chant for her…it was an honor to be a part of this remembrance…and Don and his kindness and concern…Whenever the crew of the Amistad came to port Don was there for us….His office was always open to us to check emails and just chill… I would invite Don to lunch on the boat and he always had great stories to share with us…There were times when I needed to do provisioning for the Amistad and needed transportation, and there was Don who said please use my car…He was such a wonderful dear friend to the Amistad Crew and me personally…Don took such good care of us… In 2006 and 2007 I installed an exhibit for Black History Month at the Seaport and Don was there with his wonderfull support and encouragement…He was a one man supporter of the Amistad and I will forever be greatfull …before we left on our Atlantic Freedom Tour in 2007 Don gave us 15lbs of pickled ginger for sea sickness, and boy did it come in handy and was used…everytime I would pull out a bag for a crew member I would thank Don…Don also provided two Sextons … while we were traveling he wrote us many wonderful letters of encouragement…When we sailed back to Mystic in June 2008 from the tour Don was there to greet the Amistad… I will always cherish my dear friend remembering his wonderful smile and laugh and all the joy Don brought to everyone he met… His star is shinning bright…
A hui hou (until we meet again) nam myoho renge kyo my dear friend
Don has been a friend since I first met him and he shared his enthusiasm for the heavens with me in 1973 at the Seaport. While living in Connecticut then, and working a physician at the Coast Guard Academy, I took his celestial classes and ever since he has been ready to help with all my navigation, history or any other questions like I was the only one around that day. Having moved to California after the CG I visited Don every time I returned to Connecticut and the Seaport (once or twice a year) and was always greeted, with a big smile, like a long lost friend; and he never failed to ask after my wife and kids (by name) who he had come to know.
Of all the many things that have impressed me about Don over the years, the most memorable has been his evident delight in turning on someone new to the wonders of the stars, navigation and their lore. With infinite patience he would go through, what for him was old hat, but as he did it , it didn’t seem so and his pupil was infected with his enthusiasm, then, and for me and I am sure most, forever. That was the gift he had for us, and we will forever cherish it and him.
I am deeply saddened to learn of this loss of a friend, colleague, and mentor. I started volunteering at the seaport when I was 15 and have continued working since. In the past 6 summers, Don taught me a lot. Even if I was just calling to check on the weather report, Don was sure to give me a lesson about weather patterns or keeping safe during a lightning storm and I could hear it in his voice, that he was doing it with a smile. I will always remember his kindness and warmth and I know that he will be deeply missed.
Don was friends with and worked with my fathernlaw Bob Morse for many years. When Bob passed Don helped our family with the memorial service at the Seaport and helped the family a great deal with inspiring words. At the one year anniversary Don also helped us establish a memorial plaque at the gazebo Bob built. This means the world to our family. It took him months but he never gave up. Every time he saw our son Cameron he made sure to tell him about his grandfathers acheivements at the Seaport.
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As so many have said, Don was one of those people who just radiated goodness and kindness. He had an infectious cheer about him that just kind of made you smile.
I have the unfair privilege of being able to call Don my uncle. My memory has never been that good, only a few early memories have survived the cramming of info that school inflicts. But of course, one of those earliest memories is of Uncle Don. He used to pick me up as a toddler and bounce me on his knee while humming a little song. He would then randomly drop his knee really far and his humming would climb a couple octanes. He’d then catch me at the very last second just under the arm pits and lift me back up. I loved it. I’d laugh and laugh and he would laugh with me.
I know that this lose has yet to fully hit me. Being here at college is a completely different world to me. And the painful reality that Uncle Don won’t be there when I return home hasn’t sunk in yet…
“… stars are still just the holes to heaven…”
Don was one of a kind, always happiest when he was helping someone else–especially when he was helping us learn about the sky. His sheer joy when doing a star show or showing someone a planet through a telescope was infectious. Every time I look up at the night sky I think about Don and what he taught me. I am sure his joy will be passed down through many generations.
I have brought students to Mystic Seaport’s planetarium for 15 years now … kindergarteners, ninth graders, and many grades in between. Don was a master teacher who was as effective with 5 year olds as he was with high schoolers and, of course, adults. I loved the lessons he taught me and my classes, but most of all, I loved the opportunity to show my students Don’s example — someone sharing their passion. We’ve learned so much more than astronomy from Don Treworgy.
I met Mr. Treworgy many years ago, as a student in one of his Celestrial Navigation classes. He was a brilliant man, a shining star for sure!
I rememeber we shared a passion for numbers and sailing. I am sorry to hear of his passing, and send condolences to his family and Mystic Seaport.
A new Star shines brightly in our heavens: Don Treworgy lives on in the hearts of all he touched.
I had the good fortune to first meet Don when I was working in the Bakeshop. This was some time ago and if I recall correctly Don had a thing for an afternoon sweet. He would stop in and take his time choosing what usually ended up being a chocolate chip or other type of cookie. I never remember him being “under the weather” and he was always cheerful. He would ask me how things were and be genuinely interested in my response, no matter how mundane. It was on one of these afternoons when I first learned that he distributed a daily weather email complete with local tides. I immediately asked to be signed up and everyday henceforth I would ask Don, “How was the weather?” and he would always know.
Today if someone mentioned Don the first thing that would pop into my head would be the weather. A day would hardly go by when I didn’t receive his email about the local weather, hurricanes, tropical storms, and tides. Even if he was home sick with a cold or out of town he would somehow still get that email out. Since I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been out sailing, I usually just opened his email to see what the temperature was. I have to admit I took these emails for granted.
I transferred to the Web Department and we started looking for a way of adding a page of Tide Tables and especially a customized Weather Widget. Don was very supportive of this idea and as always he wanted to help. To give us a benchmark for this new technology, he wanted to show me how he compiled his daily weather email. This was the first and unfortunately one of the last times that I was lucky enough to sit down with him one on one.
Always the gentleman, Don insisted on being the one to make the trip to my office rather than having me walk to the Planetarium. He brought his Apple laptop, plugged it in and proceeded to show me different weather websites that he used as sources. As I vividly remember, our conference room was completely silent, except for Don’s gentle tapping of the computer keys. Whatever stresses I was experiencing that day melted away as I listened to him explain the different websites and the reasons for collecting key pieces of data. While not appearing to be rushing and with remarkable efficiency, Don proceeded to copy and paste weather tables, temperatures, and weather alerts into his email. It was then that I realized how many times he must have done this! I asked him how long he had been doing this and he replied with a smile that even before they had computers he would broadcast the weather and tide information with a radio set.
The amount of patience and dedication that Don showed that day is what I respected most about him. To sit down early every morning (“Between showering and having breakfast,” he said.) and for twenty plus minutes create his weather email is a real testament to just how much he cared about all of us. Don’s reason for getting the email out so promptly was really for those at sea, but he was also the kind of guy who would have been genuinely concerned had any of us been caught out in the rain.
I was probably about ten years old when I visited the Mystic Planetarium for the first time. Don was there. Again as a teenager when I visited, Don was there. Now at the age of 54, I am the Director of the Schenectady Planetarium; having taught Astronomy in planetariums for 38 years. Don came out to my planetarium a couple of years ago in hopes that we could do some joint programming. It was great to see him again. Don’s passing is not only a loss for the Seaport, but a loss for the Planetarium Field as a whole.
As Past President of the International Planetarium Society, I would like to express the appreciation our members feel for having had Don as a precious example of the best in our profession. I too met him and experienced his inspired work and contagious enthusiasm in the Mystic Planetarium. I am so happy he will be remembered in the planetarium’s newly dedicated name, the Treworgy Planetarium, as well as in the memory of all those people he touched personally.
I first met Don around 1985 when I took a course on Weather from him. Don was an inspirational teacher. Through the years Don became not only a mentor to me but more importantly a friend. I will miss him very much.
Don loved the stars and through the years he was never shy about sharing that love of stars with everyone. He was always quick with stories and we all know how he loved puns.
A funny thing happened many years ago .When my daughter was about 5 or 6 years old, I took her to see one of Don’s planetarium programs. I was worried whether she would stay focused during the early portions of the program. While Don was giving introductory remarks concerning exits & all, I started whispering to her and pointed out the big dipper. Her response was, “Quiet Daddy, the man knows more than you…”
As I looked at the photos posted on this site, I couldn’t help but remember how Don loved to talk with young children and to share with them his knowledge of astronomy. It was not unusual to find Don sitting on the floor of the Planetarium lobby, talking with a group of them.
In one of his emails in November 2008 he shared the following with us: “You will be pleased to know that the Doctors and nurses that I am working with all get a Mystic Seaport Planetarium Sky Guide, a quick lesson on where to find Venus and Jupiter and what to watch for followed by a quick quiz before they depart! If learning the sky brings them a 20th of the pleasure it has given me, they will be well rewarded. Sometimes I feel like a Johnny Appleseed who sprinkles stardust and reveals the beauty, mystery and science of the sky.” Don never missed an opportunity to share his love of stars.
On clear nights when I look up at the Milky Way, I can’t help feeling that Don is sprinkling real stardust for us to see.
I was extremely lucky to have Don Treworgy as a friend. His wonderful smile and constant good humor lit up the day for all those around him. The world will not be the same without Don, but that new star in the sky will shine brightly for all time.
Wonderful words describe Don, words that honor his 48-year service to Mystic Seaport Museum. But stripped of well-deserved accolades, he was simply one unassuming, gentle, generous, honorable man with an insatiable curiosity about the universe, an abiding love for his fellow man, an old fashioned New England work ethic and gentle wit, and enduring appreciation for family. We were blessed to share time with him on a daily basis as a colleague and friend, and to have the opportunity to learn from his example. We should not forget the power of one and the scope of our potential. Gazing upon the stars, we can imagine Don set up in the dark with his telescope by Chubbs Wharf or down at the bridge, willing to share an insight on the heavens and the grandeur of our universe, putting our earthly state in perspective. I can only imagine what that means now to Lynn who waited and welcomed him home. I empathize and offer her my deepest sympathy, and navigate better for having known him. Sharon Brown
I worked at Mystic Seaport summers back when I was in high school in the late 1960s. Don Treworgy always had a kind word to say to me, even though I was only a parking lot attendant or dockboy. The things he did in the Planetarium were spectacular. Later, when I had to interview a person I thought was creative for a college course, I asked Don if he would let me interview him. He took time out of his busy schedule to listen to my questions and gave thoughtful responses to all of them. I will never forget his smiling face and cheerful hello. Mystic Seaport was indeed blessed to have this man as an employee.
I’m an astronomer at Connecticut College, and one of our yearly rituals is to take our intro astronomy lab students to the planetarium at Mystic Seaport. Every year, as we stepped off the bus, we would be greeted by this beaming gentleman in a bowtie and red suspenders, bursting at the seams to tell us all about celestial navigation and finding our way around the night sky. I’m pretty sure that many of my students’ first reactions were “… bowtie and suspenders? for real??”, but by the end of the planetarium show, everyone had incredible respect and affection for this man who overflowed with such joy, wisdom, and humor.
In a couple of weeks, we’ll be taking our newest crop of students to the planetarium. The staff are very capable and I’m sure everything will go fine — but for me, it won’t be the same without Don.
PS: I always loved the air conditioner joke, too.
Don Treworgy Memorial
I first met Don in the classroom of the Planetarium at the Mystic Seaport. I learned so much about celestial navigation from Don, but perhaps the more valuable lesson came from experiencing Don with his students. I watched Don transform people by taking time to learn about and encourage their dreams and visions. Time with Don always left me feeling that what I was doing and dreaming about was important and that I could do it. During that first celestial navigation class at the Seaport Don honored the memory of past teachers and mariners who contributed in some way to what we were learning; each person mattered to Don. I am forever grateful to him for helping me discover and develop my special gift for teaching. I often felt Don was like a mother bear – helping her cubs grow up and learn and eventually encouraging them to go off on their own.
Don also seemed to understand deeply the power of emotions. His love for poetry and music as well as numbers and the physical world seemed to reflect his appreciation for both the mind and the heart. Like watching a magic show, Don’s students flourished under a warm glow of attention and appreciation, for both their minds and their hearts. His curiosity and interest in each person seemed to helped people appreciate and value themselves.
Don loved to get the news out to us folks about the stars, so I thought Don would want us all to know what is happening in the sky tonight. But I thought it fitting to start with what was in the sky the day that Don was born, October 3rd 1938. The Sun was in the constellation of Virgo, near one of his favorite stars, Spica. The mythology associated with this constellation of Virgo is that of the craftsperson and one who values being of service and highly skilled in their specific area of expertise. The Sun was in conjunction with the planet Mercury on that Oct. 3rd 1938. Mercury is the patron saint of travelers and a symbol of communication and the mind. It seems fitting that Don shown so brightly with his mind and that his gift of communication and exchanging information aided so many voyagers who passed thru the Mystic Seaport.
Tonight on Don’s birthday, the Sun has of course made its way back into the constellation of Virgo. The Moon is full tonight and we can see bright Jupiter is early evening sky in the constellation of Capricorn. Just after midnight, Mars begins to rise in the east in the constellation of Gemini just south of the star Pollux. Venus is visible low in the east before sunrise along with Saturn. My husband and I were watching the stars tonight from our boat in the San Blas islands of Panama. We were both silently thinking of Don and at that moment a shooting star reminded us that we are always blessed with Don’s spirit, every night that we take the time to look up towards the heavens.
Don, we’re thinking of you!
With Love and Gratitude,
Julie (and Larry) Shaffer
I met Don long before I met him at Mystic Seaport.
He sang in the choir and the chorus. Later I went to work for his eventual son-in-law, met my boss’s sister and Gary’s Dad. It became a huge family.
Don taught me a lot. I considered him my mentor, friend and my North Star. He never didn’t have time to talk or give advice. The advice was always good.
Many stormy nights we met on the seawalls at 3am, water washing over our boots.
Three hurricanes we worked together, me soaking wet in the storm, Don on the radios, watching the weather and holding it all together.
Always calm, in control, and in charge.
He taught me navigation, the stars and a certain amount of poise.
He was a person who I am glad I met and I am proud I knew him. I am better for that experience and I am at a loss for what is gone.
Don and Lynn were partners. They both embraced each other and the Seaport and that family and there own.
He was one of the three men that formed my life. I will miss him and mourn him. A friend, a teacher and a mentor.
My thoughts go out to his family.
I’m sure Don has a plan.
Don was a great friend of my grandparents, Frank and Annette Murphy, and I got to know him while visiting them over summer vacations as a child. I never got tired of sitting in the darkened planetarium, listening to him tell us wonderful stories of the stars and planets and the civilizations that studied them. To this day, I look for Orion to guide me home, and I thank the universe that I had the joy and privilege of knowing such a wonderful man as Don.
Transcribed from a hand-written letter, left with the Treworgy Planetarium staff:
Dear Don Treworgy,
On the eve of hearing of your passing, I stepped outside to study the night skies. Pinpricks of light, thousands of millions of miles away.
And I remembered with what energy and joy you brought them to earth, dangling them before awed children.
You swept the sky and pulled down wonders, held them in the palm of your hand to show us all.
And then a smiling God caught you in the palm of His hand. He regarded you. You regarded Him. Off you burst in speckles of light, bound for the farthest reaches of His creation.
God laughed. “I owe you this,” He said.
And on the eve of your passing, I stepped outside to study the night skies. I thought to myself: those stars are shining so much more the brighter.
Fair solar winds, my shipmate.
Russ Ostlund
Don was always a dear friend and mentor to me and my family when we were living in Mystic and later after we moved back to Martha’s Vineyard. Doug and I both worked in the Shipyard which Don frequently strolled down to visit, bringing weather reports and other information, and Caitlin, Doug and I all took courses in astronomy and navigation. Since then I’ve always visited with Don when returning to Mystic. He was one of the kindest and most gentle and genuine people that I’ve ever met . He was endlessly helpful, with a wonderful sense of humor and his many former students, and just plain old sailors, will remember him with affection and gratitude, particularly for the time he spent making sure that we would have a safe passage. He’s left us now on a long passage but his spirit will be with us always.
There is a card with an Eskimo legend which reads: “Perhaps they are not stars in the sky, but rather openings where our loved ones shine down to let us know they are happy.”
Ginny Jones
I was lucky enough to stumble across the Mystic Planetarium website several years back and signed up for Don’s Night Sky newsletter. It was always a pleasure to receive these emails that provided some night sky targets to venture after with my telescope.
One evening several summers ago, I was at the shore viewing targets in Sagittarius when I saw through my scope a long cylindrical object which appeared to have 4 windows pass through the lens. I was able to track the object for approx 4 or 5 seconds till it disappeared into the lower southern sky. Needless to say, I thought I had just seen a UFO and began to pace around the backyard wondering what I had just witnessed. With my heart racing I peered back into the scope half expecting to see an entire alien invasion force headed our way.
I didn’t speak of the incident to anyone the entire weekend for fear of ridicule. At the end of the weekend, we went home and I still hadn’t mentioned the encounter to anyone. We got home and I turned on the PC to check email and lo and behold I had an email from Don stating what would be in store for folks in the night sky for that weekend. Towards the end of the email Don mentions, “Oh by the way, the ISS will be visible at approx 10 PM Friday night and will be traveling from north to south. If you have a chance, try and catch a glimpse of the ISS Friday night”
Sigh of relief!
Don will be missed.