May 24, 1936 – January 30, 2021
Written by Sam Storch
Steve Berr, an enthusiastic “Brooklyn boy” and retired planetarium director and astronomy evangelist has passed on to the stars he loved. A graduate of Brooklyn College and Temple University, Steve had majored in geology and began teaching in New York but soon pursued his long and successful career as Planetarium Director at Pennsylvania’s Plymouth- Whitemarsh High School, located in the Colonial School District. In addition to nearly three decades running the school’s planetarium and its very active astronomy club, Steve taught astronomy classes at the Community College of Philadelphia. One of his high school students was a founder of the Antique Telescope Society and boasts of having remained close friends with Steve for nearly fifty years.
One of Steve’s unwavering efforts ultimately resulted in the placement of a very large refractor in a rooftop observatory at his district’s middle school. He often attended meetings of the Delaware Valley Amateur Astronomers, and because of his enthusiastic and genuine manner, Steve was frequently interviewed by the media.
Steve’s sterling reputation made him a popular presenter at Middle Atlantic Planetarium Society conferences. Following his three decades in the planetarium Steve retired and began the sale and support of Starlab portable planetariums, his energy and involvement undiminished. Noted for his unwavering enthusiasm, his eyes sparkled when he was engaging with someone about some topic in astronomy. His wife of 56 years and his three children knew that he was a proselytizer for astronomy as well as a writer and humorist, sometimes even telling his jokes in Yiddish. Unflappable and cheerful, Steve had survived a bout with cancer which failed to reduce his intensity or professional involvement. He was always and obviously happy to be alive.
I had the honor of presenting a workshop with Steve just a couple years ago; attendees got to see two animated retirees doing what they’d have done a decade or two ago. This is the essence of Steve. A talented story teller, amateur geologist, and talented banjo player, Steve is a beloved father and grandfather and his family recalls that often he’d be stopped in the street by former students who thanked him for igniting their own interests in science.
Never allowing age and health to diminish his “spark,” Steve’s gift to his entire extended family was a skillfully planned trip for all to see the August 2017 total solar eclipse. Since Steve’s college training had “officially” been in geology, the trip also included stops in geologically significant locations as well as the eclipse. From selecting a viewing site to arranging lodging and transportation Steve created a memorable experience. It was a brilliant way to share his greatest scientific passions.
Sadly, by the time of the trip Steve was no longer able to travel from Pennsylvania to Driggs, Idaho, yet during the trip, somehow both astronomical and geological resources would just “appear.”
Steve Berr will always be remembered as a genuine, sincere, and skilled man- a mentor and teacher always bringing science into the hearts and minds of everyone around him. His family described him as a “mensch” which is the Yiddish term for a person of sincerity and goodness.