A Life in the Stars
by Jacob Garza
“W
hen I decided to take a
summer internship at
the Observatory, I didn’t
realize where life would take me… It’s
been a long summer.” These are the
words of Marc Wetzel, Education
Coordinator for the McDonald
Observatory of the University of Texas
at Austin, who has been living in the
stars on Mt. Locke for 25 years. “I’m
glad it was in a place so beautiful, so
serene, and so peaceful. Up here, I felt
like I belonged, like I had a place for
myself. I found a life, I found peace.”
For 75 years the Observatory has been
leading research and exploration of
our universe, but astronomers who
conduct research at the site come only
for a few days at a time. Marc lives
there.
I sat down and spoke with Marc
outside Plaine Coffee Shop where he
told me that during his youth his imag-
ination and focus were being concen-
trated through the eyepiece of a tele-
scope as he peered into the night sky.
He commented, “I would get so excit-
ed looking at comets, star clusters and
galaxies. I felt like I was Galileo Galilei
discovering them for the first time. It
was awesome!”
After high school, Marc decided he
wanted to become a veterinarian and
began to study physics at the
University of Arlington. However, he
could not forget his passion for looking
up at the stars. His curiosity toward the
universe landed him an astronomy lab
assistant position in the Physics
Department. There he learned of the
1988 Texas Star Party and made his
first adult decision. He told his parents
he was headed to West Texas for a
whole week by himself. Upon arrival at
the Prude Guest Ranch, he found peo-
ple with minds much like his own. For
the first time he felt comfortable and
like he belonged.
At the Star Party he camped with
amateur astronomers from around the
United States, and accepted an intern-
ship at the Observatory for the follow-
14
Cenizo
ing summer. In July, the Observatory
celebrated “Frontiers of Stellar
Evolution;
A
Symposium
in
Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of
McDonald Observatory of the
University of Texas at Austin.” This
was 50 years after Otto Struve, then
director, gave his dedication speech
saying, “What we propose to do is to
study intensively the relatively bright
stars of our galaxy--as individuals and
not as statistical material.” Those
words seemed to speak to Marc per-
sonally. He wanted to be an individual,
not a statistic.
During that festive 50th anniversary
summer, he would work in the pres-
ence of the brightest astronomical
minds in the world. Looking at the
serene view that he had from his bed-
room window every morning that
summer, he felt like he was where he
belonged. Because of how well he per-
formed and the knowledge he already
possessed from his personal interest in
astronomy, the summer internship
position was extended to an actual job
opportunity. He called his parents and
told them he was staying just a little
longer.
As time passed, his position became
permanent and full-time. He moved
into a tiny house with a billion-dollar
view at the foot of the big domes.
Twenty-five years later you can catch
Marc giving educational tours to stu-
dents, teachers, parents and tourists
alike at the Visitor’s Center. At some
points in the year—such as spring
break, Thanksgiving, Christmas and
New Year’s—large numbers of visitors
arrive at the Frank N. Bash Visitor’s
Center when the rest of the world takes
vacations. With this awkward relation-
ship of a higher volume of visitors dur-
ing holidays, Marc and his colleagues
must carefully arrange who will be off
and when. Consequently, more often
than not, Marc will be somewhere on
Mt. Locke, like the many engineers,
technicians, carpenters and machinists
who are working to keep things run-
Third Quarter 2014
ning smoothly. When asked to
describe the change over time to the
Observatory, he replied, “Even after
75 years, McDonald Observatory con-
tinues to be a world leader in astro-
nomical research.”
Marc met his wife, Teresa Todd,
when she came up the mountain for a
tour and they reconnected two years
later. They soon married and now
have two sons: Shadix and Haden.
Being raised on a mountain face offers
a special kind of environment for his
children. He often finds them playing
their days away on the basketball and
tennis court, or riding their bikes.
They do not receive cell service
where they live, so Marc is sure to
remind callers of that in his voicemail
message. I asked if he felt raising kids in
such an isolated place hindered them
compared to a modern city. He
explained how teaching children to
cross a street in Ft. Davis and crossing
a street in a big city are quite different,
and the growth and experiences Marc
and Teresa’s sons can have in the
Davis Mountains are something rare.
He expressed no sorrow or sympathy
for his kids. They attend school in the
Ft. Davis Independent School District.
His children, running and playing
nearby with smiles on their faces,
Photo courtesy: Vicki Gibson
reminded him that they too are happy
on Mt. Locke.
Marc completed a Bachelor of Arts
in Communications from Sul Ross
State University and now strives
toward a Master’s in Education.
Although he knows what the next step
is on his degree plan, he does not know
where life will take him. He is okay
with that mystery. “Every door I’ve
walked through to this point has lead
me in the right direction.” Going
through high school and moving on to
college, men and women morph into
someone they may or may not have
foreseen. We do not know where we
are headed.
When asked for his advice, he says,
“Don’t go where the money is when
you’re searching for something like
your future. Do what you think you
will love. I found I loved to convey and
share knowledge with teachers and
kids.” While at work Marc is reminded
by the expressions of excitement on the
faces of those he guides of the energy
and passion he has always had for the
stars.
When Marc Wetzel came to Fort
Davis he became who he is now.