As a child, Steve Denkers loved to lie in the grass, look at the stars, and count the constellations. And after watching the moon landing and learning about NASA’s space program, he was hooked. “I’ve always been fascinated with astronomy,” he says. Today, Steve is executive director of his maternal grandfather’s foundation, the Willard L. Eccles Foundation, dedicated supporters of astronomy at the U.

It started in early 2000 when the Willard Eccles Foundation, with a growing interest in the U’s fledgling astronomy program, gave a financial gift to enhance the program’s outreach to schools in the Salt Lake area and to renovate the campus observatory atop the South Physics Building. The ensuing weekly Wednesday night star parties—hosted by astronomy students, offered year round, and open to all—continue to this day.

Inspired to do more, the foundation became the major donor for the creation of the university’s Willard Eccles Observatory and 32-inch research telescope, located at Frisco Peak, near Milford, Utah. Completed in 2009, the telescope can be operated remotely from campus, and the observatory is used as a classroom for the U’s astronomy students as well as for other students in Utah. “Frisco Peak is one of the most fabulous remaining dark areas in the United States from which to view the universe,” says Wayne Springer, a professor of astronomy at the U and one of the key people involved in the project.

These two initiatives—the upgraded public outreach program and the new observatory—created excitement and incentive among donors, administrators, and faculty to pursue an opportunity to become involved in the exciting research opportunities afforded by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, a long term, international effort to map the heavens. But hefty membership fees meant the U would need to raise funds to cover the expense. Once again, the Willard Eccles Foundation stepped up and suggested a challenge grant—the foundation would pay half the membership fees if the university would raise the other half. The challenge was successful and in 2008, the U joined SDSS-III (phase III) and became a major member of the survey and the repository for the Sloan Survey data. Today, the U remains involved in the work of SDSS-IV, a critical extension of the success achieved by the U’s astronomy program as a participant in SDSS-III.

The Willard Eccles Foundation’s gifts to the U’s astronomy program have led to multiple, high-profile results in research, education, outreach, and external funding, attracting more than $4 million in grants for faculty members doing research for the survey.

“We’ve been proud of our involvement and are eager to continue our support for astronomy at the U,” says Steve. The astronomy program is just one of many areas on campus that benefits from the Willard L. Eccles Foundation’s generosity.

Additional gifts support the Natural History Museum of Utah, the College of Nursing, and the Honors College. The foundation also provides funds for postdoctoral fellowships to support promising scholars, critically important in attracting the best and brightest students to the U.

The university appreciates the loyal support of the Willard L. Eccles Foundation and looks forward to continuing the partnership well into the future. Together, we know the sky’s the limit!