[Ian Cooper]

It sure is Suzy. I'm amazed at how much of that visit from a third of a century ago I still remember. Just shows what sort of an impression Bill made. He had a very easy going style about him.

His comet hunting telescope was what we typically call No. 8 fencing wire technology. Made out of whatever was at hand and only what was required. After that it was all down to the observer and his knowledge of the sky.

Bill has said it elsewhere but I clearly remember the gleam in his eye when he described his observing routine. He would start by covering the part of the sky also available to the Japanese comet hunters who were also very prolific through the whole time that Bill was active. Having covered that part of the sky he would settle in to the southern sky in the knowledge that there were very few southern comet hunters about (my good mate Rod Austin was one of them).

When Bill found a comet we were always excited to observe it. His last comet was a really good one but best seen in the N.H. I was glad that he got the Edgar Wilson award for that one as this was when the robots were really starting to sweep them up.