Star prof
He opened minds to worlds they had not imagined
Charles Schweighauser of Pleasant Plains was born in Alton June 1, 1936, and died at home with his family in Pleasant Plains July 14, 2025.
Known as Charlie to his friends, he was the first director of the McDonnell Planetarium in St. Louis, and a professor of English, astronomy and environmental studies at Sangamon State University and University of Illinois Springfield. As SSU/UIS faculty, he was the founder of Star Parties and the Henry R. Barber Research Observatory.
Charlie was a true humanist and Renaissance person who was conscious of his privilege and lived a generous public life believing in every person’s potential. He found vocation as a scholar and educator. He earned a master of arts in English from Williams College specializing in 19th century American literature and the works of James Joyce. He began his career at Sangamon State University teaching Environmental Studies, later adding English and astronomy to his portfolio. He also had a passion for a wide variety of music, particularly lyric opera. He wrote and produced four television documentaries: “Voyage of a Comet: The Return of Halley’s Comet” (1985), “Illinois Prairies: A Sense of Place” (1985), “Eclipse 1994” (1994), and “The Sangamon River: A Sense of Place” (2006). He was a visiting scientist and educator at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the Voyager flybys of Saturn (1980) and Uranus (1986) and a charter member of the board of the National Undergraduate Research Observatory at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. He also served as a Road Scholar and lecturer for the Illinois Humanities Council. While Charlie said he failed retirement, many considered him the model for continuing to do what you love later in life. When asked, “What is Charlie up to now?” I always replied with confidence, “Whatever he wants to do.”
Among his varied interests, astronomy was a core inspiration, fueling a passion for seeking understanding of human expression and the human condition. While at Williams College working as an astronomy teaching assistant, he ground the mirror for his first telescope and shared views through it at summer camp in Colorado. Looking toward the stars, he imagined what we could be and expressed his vision. As an educator he had profound impact through two editions of his book Astronomy from A to Z (1979 and 1991) and his course “Astronomy for Everyone.” Students who impressed him earned an invitation to take advanced astronomy courses. He is remembered in the classroom for his no-nonsense attitude and sheer will of personality. An advanced course with Charlie at the helm was not over until all the course objectives were met, even if that was weeks after the end of the term. He was quick with a joke and a laugh, but a few remember earning a humorless jolt when they disappointed him or brought up his least favorite subjects, including astrology and Star Trek. He opened minds to worlds they had not imagined and guided each to seek their highest potential as the author of their own stories.
I will forever be thankful to Charlie for helping me become established at the university. For 18 years he was a valued friend and colleague in the office next door, always there to help, but never telling me how he would have done it. His approach left me feeling grateful for what he had built and as well as full ownership of what I accomplished.
Charlie was a gracious host who thrived in the spotlight of attention. In the classroom, teachers don personas decanted from their best self. Charlie gave most of himself to that performance, drawing from a well of strength grounded in the love of his family and his soulmate Barb, who preceded him in death in 2024. After his loss, Charlie’s friends opened their hearts and supported him. He considered himself a rich person for how others reflected his generosity back onto him.
Charlie was a good and gentle person who saw the beauty in the universe and shared it. With his passing we found solace in the poem “Astronomer,” published by Jackie Jackson in Illinois Times and Edgar Lee Masters’ poem, “Alfonso Churchill” from the Spoon River Anthology. The latter ends with a fitting epitaph for Charlie:
“I preached the greatness of man,
Who is none the less a part of the scheme of things
For the distance of Spica or the Spiral Nebulae;
Nor any the less a part of the question
Of what the drama means.”
John C. Martin of Springfield is associate professor of astronomy-physics at University of Illinois Springfield where he followed Charlie’s tenure as the director of the Henry R. Barber Research Observatory and the host of Star Parties.
This article appears in January 1-7, 2026.
