Meet Gordon Dolfie, who introduces people to the cosmos
Through the end of September, we’re celebrating the people who, every day, make life in the Sacramento region meaningful and interesting. Through 12 stories, a collection of short profiles, you’ll “Meet your neighbors.” Read more here.
Gordon Dolfie thrives on showing the light of the cosmos to others — but dodges the spotlight himself.
He’s the head volunteer docent at the Placer Community Observatory, located at the Folsom Lake College, El Dorado Center campus, where Rotary Club of Cameron Park opened its free, all-volunteer observatory in 2006.
“It’s amazing to be able to give people an appreciation of where we fit into the larger universe,” he said. “You see the sense of wonder on peoples’ faces.”
Dolfie insists on not taking personal credit for the work he does at the observatory.
“I’m representing the work of this whole organization,” he said, noting that he works side by side with a diverse, intergenerational group of 60 volunteers, “Everyone from local high school students to passionate residents in their 80s,” he said.
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Dolfie retired from the tech industry 10 years ago. An amateur astronomer, he brings his knowledge of the night sky to point out constellations and stars to visitors. Every night he volunteers, he hears a gasp or a “wow.”
“Suddenly you see the light bulb above peoples’ heads,” he said. “As volunteers, we deliver a sense of awe and wonder in a very accessible way. It’s wonderful.”
Over the past two decades, Dolfie estimates that the observatory hosted over 160,000 visitors seeing the cosmos free of charge through powerful outdoor telescopes. In mid-August, more than 1,000 visitors overflowed from the parking lot of the 100-viewer venue to see the Perseids meteor shower under perfect, moonless viewing, with up to 100 meteors per hour.
Dolfie enjoys interacting with the many people who visit the observatory.
“It’s nice to be able to give back in a way that feeds my personal interest.
