Maynard Pittendreigh
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W. Maynard Pittendreigh is an
astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...
, writer and an ordained minister in the
Presbyterian Church (USA) The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PC(USA), is a mainline Protestant denomination in the United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the US, and known for its liberal stance on doctrine and its ordaining of women and ...
. As a minister, he has been a pioneer and leader in a movement toward multi-cultural/racial congregations, and in developing early Internet-based ministries. William Maynard Pittendreigh Jr., was born in
Greenwood, South Carolina Greenwood is a city in and the county seat of Greenwood County, South Carolina, United States. The population in the 2020 United States Census was 22,545 down from 23,222 at the 2010 census. The city is home to Lander University. Geography and C ...
, February 6, 1954, son of Bill and Earline Pittendreigh. He suffered a severe speech handicap as a child, but was able to overcome the disability through surgery and several years of therapy. Pittendreigh attended Christ Church Episcopal School, Greenville, South Carolina, Ware Shoals (SC) High School, and received his BA degree at
Erskine College Erskine College is a private Christian college in Due West, South Carolina. It is an undergraduate liberal arts college and a graduate theological seminary. The college was founded in 1839 by the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. Its spor ...
in
Due West, South Carolina Due West is a town in Abbeville County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,247 at the 2010 census. It is the home of Erskine College and Dixie High School. History Some say the name is a mispronunciation of "DeWitt's Corner", ...
. He earned his
Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...
degree from
Erskine Theological Seminary Erskine Theological Seminary is an institution of graduate theological and pastoral education. The Seminary is based in Due West, South Carolina, United States, and also offers classes at a second degree-granting campus in Columbia, South Carolin ...
and his doctorate from
Columbia Theological Seminary Columbia Theological Seminary is a Presbyterian seminary in Decatur, Georgia. It is one of ten theological institutions affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). History Columbia Theological Seminary was founded in 1828 in Lexington, Geo ...
. He also attended Union Theological Seminary in
Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...
, where he earned a Certification as a Church Business Administrator. Prior to entering the ministry, Pittendreigh worked as a
photojournalist Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (such ...
, restaurant manager and as a
teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
/
counselor Counselor or counsellor may refer to: A professional In diplomacy and government * Counsellor of State, senior member of the British royal family to whom the Monarch can delegate some functions in case of unavailability * Counselor (dipl ...
in a state
prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...
. As a child he worked as a
fashion model A model is a person with a role either to promote, display or advertise commercial products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows) or to serve as a visual aid for people who are creating works of art or to pose for photography. Thoug ...
for J.C. Penney. As an ordained minister, he has worked as a police chaplain in
Abbeville, South Carolina Abbeville is a city and county seat of Abbeville County, in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is located west of Columbia and south of Greenville. Its population was 5,237 at the 2010 census. Settled by French Huguenot settlers, it was ...
, as the Associate Executive Presbyter of Trinity Presbytery, as a religious
technical advisor In film production, a technical advisor is someone who advises the director on the convincing portrayal of a subject. The advisor's expertise adds realism both to the acting and to the setting of a movie. Nipo T. Strongheart Nipo T. Stronghear ...
for several films, and as a member of the credentialed press for various religious publications including being the editor of the Church Ad-Ministrator Magazine. He appeared in the 2008 Karl Bardosh film, "Out of Balance" and appeared in the credits as having played the character Peter Dray Maynard. He appeared in Simon Sort's 2019 film, "Rocket Boy," in which he played Rocket Man. He is currently the senior pastor of Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Orlando, Florida. In the past he has served congregations on Estero Island, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia, and a church in
Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
.


Astronomy

Pittendreigh has been a lifelong active amateur astronomer and wrote several articles about astronomy in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. His work, " Pittendreigh's Law of Planetary Motion" was published in
Sky and Telescope ''Sky & Telescope'' (''S&T'') is a monthly American magazine covering all aspects of amateur astronomy, including the following: *current events in astronomy and space exploration; *events in the amateur astronomy community; *reviews of astronomi ...
magazine in February 1994. During the early years of the
Hubble Space Telescope The Hubble Space Telescope (often referred to as HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most versa ...
, Pittendreigh was on an international team of
amateur astronomers Amateur astronomy is a hobby where participants enjoy observing or imaging celestial objects in the sky using the unaided eye, binoculars, or telescopes. Even though scientific research may not be their primary goal, some amateur astronomers m ...
allowed to work with
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
in using the space telescope in a study of
asteroids An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...
. The name of their study was "
Transition Comets -- UV Search for OH Emissions in Asteroids Hubble search for transition comets (Transition Comets—UV Search for OH Emissions in Asteroids) was a study involving amateur astronomers and the use of the Hubble Space Telescope, one of only six studies involving amateur astronomers approved by ...
." Pittendreigh has long been active in the
Astronomical League The Astronomical League is an umbrella organization of amateur astronomy societies. Currently their membership consists of over 280 organizations across the United States, along with a number of Members-at-Large, Patrons, and Supporting members. ...
. He served as that organization's Executive Secretary since 2019, as the director of their annual convention in 2019, and is part of the five-member team of National Observing Program Directors.Reflector magazine, June 2022, pages 13-14


Published works

Pittendreigh wrote several books, including: *''A History of Erskine Theological Seminary'' (1976) *''A Presbyterian People - The History of the Warrenton Presbyterian Church'' (1986) *''An Observer's Atlas to the Moon'' *''A People of Faith - A History of New Bethel Presbyterian Church'' (1995) *''The Presbyterian Church Welcomes You'' (2003) *''A Church for the Community'' (2010) Pittendreigh also wrote a humor column in the ''Clergy Journal'' for several years. He was editor of the Church Ad-Ministrator magazine from 1994 to 1998.


References


External links


Sermons by Pittendreigh
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pittendreigh, Maynard 1954 births 20th-century American Presbyterian ministers American astronomers Erskine College alumni Living people People from Greenwood, South Carolina Presbyterian Church (USA) teaching elders