| John G. Bolton AKA John Gatenby Bolton Born: 5-Jun-1922
Birthplace: Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England
Died: 6-Jul-1993
Location of death: Buderim, Queensland, Australia
Cause of death: Pneumonia
Remains: Cremated (ashes scattered at Parkes Observatory, Australia)
Gender: Male
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Astronomer, Physicist Nationality: Australia
Executive summary: First Director of Parkes Observatory Military service: Royal Navy (WWII) Astronomer John G. Bolton oversaw construction of CalTech's Owens Valley Radio Observatory, then served several years as the observatory's director. Leaving CalTech, he performed the same tasks on a larger scale at the Parkes Observatory in Australia, building the facility and earning the nickname "Dishmaster" as its director. At Parkes, Bolton identified the first extragalactic radio sources, studied solar flares, cloud physics, and quasars, and surveyed much of the southern sky. In 1969, he coordinated Parkes' relay of televised images from the first lunar landing, even as an unexpected local storm blasted the area with windgusts of 68 miles per hour -- roughly triple the observatory's tested limits. Fictionalized for cinema, Parkes' role in the moon landing was the basis for the 2000 film The Dish. Wife: Letty Leslie Bolton (m. 1950, two stepsons)
Son: Brian Leslie Bolton (stepson)
Son: Peter Leslie Bolton (stepson)
High School: King Edward VII School, Sheffield, England
University: PhD, Cambridge University
Scholar: Radiophysics, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (1946-55)
Professor: Astronomy, California Institute of Technology (1955-60)
Administrator: Director of Owens Valley Radio Observatory, California Institute of Technology (1955-60)
Scholar: Astronomer, Parkes Observatory (1960-81)
Administrator: Director of Parkes Observatory (1960-72)
Bruce Medal 1988
Commander of the British Empire 1982
Royal Astronomical Society Gold Medal 1977
American Astronomical Society
Australian Academy of Science (resigned 1980)
International Astronomical Union VP (1973-79)
National Academy of Sciences Foreign Associate
Royal Astronomical Society
Royal Society
Naturalized Australian Citizen
Asteroid Namesake 12140 Johnbolton
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