By Jane Anderson, WPAOG Staff

Astronomy played a vital role in academics during the infancy of the United States Military Academy at West Point, as until the advent of transmission beacons, and then GPS in the later decades of the twentieth century, celestial navigation techniques were the prime means for determining the latitude and longitude of one’s location.   Now with the advent of Space Force, interest in astronomy at West Point is having a resurgence, building upon a USMA club that had its start 60-plus years ago..

When COL (R) William E. Serchak ’58 was a yearling in 1956, CPT Wallace O. Enderle ’48, an Electricity Department professor, was presenting a class on various types of radar and other antennae on the roof of the East Academic Building, now Bartlett Hall. While teaching, Enderle noticed a peculiar, dome-shaped housing some distance away on the roof, Serchak said. “After the class departed, Enderle went over to the dome, got it open, and discovered that it was housing a neglected, c.1904, 6-inch reflecting telescope—it was a small astronomical observatory,” said Serchak. In fact, three different observatories had made their homes at the Academy over the years: one there, one at Lusk Reservoir, and one on top of the old library.

Enderle’s desire to refurbish the telescope also sparked the idea to form a cadet club for amateur astronomers. Serchak, whose interest in astronomy rocketed after viewing prints made from glass-plate negatives discovered beneath the telescope, took the reins and filled out the required paperwork to found the West Point Astronomy Club, which is still going strong 60-plus years later.

“This is the golden age of astronomy, thanks to Space Force and the Hubble Space Telescope,” Serchak said.

In 2023, Serchak and his former roommate, COL (R) Hugh Trumbull ’58, collaborated to honor the Academy’s history of celestial study by establishing the W.E. Serchak Astronomy Award. The cadet awardee receives a mounted cadet saber and a five-year subscription to Astronomy magazine.

Now 2LT Matalyn Espenshade ’25 of Company G-3 earned this year’s award, as well as a certificate awarding her with the Basic Space Badge and 3Y Additional Skill Identifier. Espenshade graduated as a Space Science major with honors and branched Air Defense Artillery. Serchak presented the saber to Espenshade at a ceremony May 21.

The Astronomy Club is still a guiding force in celestial studies. “The club has enabled our future leaders to satisfy their curiosity about the heavens above, perform independent research related to astronomical events and phenomena, and address Army needs related to the space domain,” said COL Pete Chapman ’98, Head of the Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering (PaNE). “Looking forward, the Astronomy Club will continue to develop Cadets’ technical expertise in space observation, foster critical thinking through astronomical research, and prepare officers to leverage space-based capabilities in multi-domain operations.”

What began as a tiny club that didn’t have a room to call its own has grown into a permanent space with state-of-the-art equipment that even enables cadets to view the heavens in the daytime, Serchak said. Educational opportunities such as the West Point Astronomy Club are made possible by generous donors like Serchak and Trumbull supporting the Margin of Excellence, which enables cadets to achieve their highest potential. The telescope that started it all, now called “The Relic,” was retired and is currently displayed outside PaNE’s office in Bartlett Hall. CPT Basilio Yniguez, the Officer in Charge of the current Astronomy Club, has again refurbished it and facilitated new brass plates recounting the telescope’s history. On the evening of Projects Day, April 24, 2025, PaNE rolled The Relic out to the rooftop of the Thayer parking garage. Serchak climbed up and peered through the viewfinder to see Jupiter and four of its moons. It was the first time he’d looked through that telescope in over 50 years.

Photos: Top – Serchak presented the saber to Espenshade at a ceremony May 21, Bottom – Serchak viewing the sky through the telescope on the Thayer parking garage.