We must report with great sadness that Don Farris passed away quietly at home on 26 January after a long illness. Don was the senior electronics technician for the GONG project nearly from its inception until the sites were deployed in 1995.
Don came to work at Kitt Peak early in 1974, and made his presence felt from the very beginning. He was involved in the development of the Observatory's first CCD cameras and later in the production and maintenance of the Universal CCD and Control Systems that saw service for many years at Kitt Peak and CTIO. He became well known in Chile during a trip to CTIO in 1982, a "road trip" now legendary on two continents. By this time Don had developed into one of the observatory's "super techs" - always well informed, invariably opinionated, and usually right. Don was this army's chief master sergeant, respected by his peers, and never shy about putting a junior engineer or "nomer" in their place when it was in the best interest of the project.
Don began working on solar projects in 1987. Although his primary effort was directed at GONG development, he played a pivotal role in the instrument development for all of the South Pole campaigns, and was consulted on many other projects as well.
Don's last years of service, however, were dominated by work on the GONG instruments. He poured his heart and soul into those shipping containers and their contents. The GONG instruments have proved to be highly reliable, and they will be Don's legacy every minute that they run. He appreciated that our equipment had to operate reliably if we were to enjoy the good will of the local technicians at the host observatories. The sign on the outside identifying our work as the property of the NSF, AURA, and the NOAO read "Made in America" to Don, and he took that very seriously. He would suffer no short cuts and no shoddy work where it mattered.
Don's memory will live on in his family, his friends, and his colleagues. He worked hard to pass his experience along to the next generation. His skill and pride in his work will survive in every one of us who was privileged to be "trained up" at the feet of the master.
Rob Hubbard