Martin Bowers with the Melton scope
Dr. William Melton was president of the University of South Carolina from 1921-1926. He was responsible for building an observatory for the university. It still bears his name today and welcomes visitors of every age.
Melton was born in South Carolina in 1868. He attended the University of Virginia, graduating with a bachelor of arts degree. He came back to the University of South Carolina, where he earned a law degree and a law doctorate before graduating.
Melton married Caro Belser of Summerton in 1898, and after her death, married Meta Loeb of Charleston. He practiced law in Chester and then in Columbia with the firm of Melton and Belser, and later with Belser and Belser.
In addition to his legal work, Melton served as a city councilman, elder of the First Presbyterian Church, and as chairman of the South Carolina Board of Law Examiners. Melton served with great success as president of the University of South Carolina from 1921 until his death in 1926.
The University of South Carolina achieved considerable growth during the short Melton administration, but he is best known for his efforts in getting the observatory that bears his name built. Before Melton got involved, physics studies involved moving portable telescopes to an outside platform for viewing, setting it up, and then dismantling the equipment after each session.
Dr. Melton convinced Edwin G. Seibels, a friend and alumnus of the University of South Carolina, to donate $15,000 to build an observatory. At the time, Seibels’s gift was the largest ever made to the university by an alumnus. The $15,000 donation in today’s money would be about $277,000. After Dr. Melton’s death in 1926, Seibels led the movement to name the facility Melton Memorial Observatory.
In those days, a large donation usually meant the resulting facility would bear the name of that donor. Seibels insisted on the observatory being named after Dr. Melton since he was the driving force behind the observatory and tragically died before it was opened.
The observatory was built in 1928 and features a 16-inch Cassegrain reflector telescope, the Hanahan Telescope, which was named after its donor, Wilson Hanahan. Everything originally built is still part of the current observatory except for the tracking mechanism. Originally clock driven, the mechanism is now driven by a stepper motor system. According to Director Martin Bowers, everything else is original equipment, although the mirrors were resurfaced and refigured about a decade ago.
Bowers was born in Knoxville. His family moved to Virginia when he was 12. After graduating from Lenior- Rhyne University, Bowers earned his master of science degree at Georgia Tech. Marriage and a job with Honeywell in Clearwater, Florida eventually led to a position in California with Intel. In 2005 he transferred to Columbia and retired five years ago.
“I got interested in astronomy while taking math and physics in college. First time I ever looked through a telescope was in college. As a senior project, I ground an eight-inch mirror and built my own scope, which I still have,” said Bowers.
The Midlands Astronomy Club, of which Martin is a member, was approached by USC about a possible observatory director position for one of the members.
“I thought that sounded fun,” he said. “I’ve worked with a lot of college students and enjoy that interaction.”
Dr. Bowers has been director for eight years.
The Melton Observatory is open to the general public each Monday evening, if the sky is clear. Winter hours are 8-10 p.m. There is no admission charge. The observatory also features occasional special events during eclipses, and other celestial happenings. Students working on degrees that include night sky lessons use the facility as their lab on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. There is no major in astronomy at USC, so students take it as a minor or as a science class.
Dr. Bowers has always enjoyed interaction with students. It is one of the reasons he took the director’s job. But he will tell you that fifth graders are the most energetic and inquisitive students to visit the observatory.
He will also tell you being in a position to view the night sky is not only among his favorite things, he considers it a privilege. Looking through a telescope is an amazing experience, one that surprisingly few people have experienced. Dr. Bowers wants to change that.
“We live in an amazing universe of incredible beauty. Stop by and have a look,” he says.
For more information on the Melton Observatory, or special events there, please visit boson.physics.sc.edu/~melton/touring.html.
The observatory also has Facebook, Instagram, and X social media sites.
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