In Memory of Mark Tovey (1970-2026)

We lost one of our own on January 6, 2026. Observatory Curator Mark Tovey died of cancer at the age of 55.

If you have visited the Hume Cronyn Memorial Observatory since 2015, you have certainly experienced something Mark created. That year, as we celebrated our 75th anniversary, Mark dug into our Observatory’s rich history. What started as simple research became something extraordinary: Mark had the brilliant idea to transform a basement room into a replica of the Observatory Director’s office from 1940, based on a single historical photograph. The effect was impressive. Stepping through that door is like travelling back in time. Every artifact in that room had a story, and for quite a few, he had figured out the back story. At our anniversary celebration, he dressed as founding Director H.R. Kingston — wearing Kingston’s actual top hat — and delivered the speech Kingston gave at the 1940 opening. He even traced descendants of our first Curator, Rev. W.G. Colgrove, and invited them to the event, helping us finally identify artifacts Colgrove had made in the Observatory’s workshop decades ago.

Mark didn’t stop there. Given the success of the 1940s period room, he created another “time machine” — recreating the Elginfield Observatory telescope control room from the Apollo era, complete with 1970s books, punch cards, Nixie tubes, and yes, an era-appropriate ashtray. He spent many evenings — sometimes with his mother Edith, sometimes with students — arranging that room and bringing vintage equipment back to life. A third followed in 2018: a 1940s-era observatory workshop, at the exact location where Colgrove had once made instruments by hand. Mark was also successful in attracting funding for his ideas — for the development of the Elginfield period room, to celebrate amateur astronomy in Canada, and to preserve our stories through posters and exhibits. Throughout his work, Mark mentored students, showing them how to care for, preserve, and share our historical and cultural heritage with others.

Mark’s connections enriched our Observatory in countless ways. Through the London Cultural Heritage Council, we became part of Doors Open London, welcoming visitors interested in history and culture alongside astronomy. He organized “World Space Party” events at Eldon House and Fanshawe Pioneer Village, and for the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing in 2019, he created an impressive lunar exhibit highlighting the Canadian connection to the Apollo program.

Mark’s many talents and passions found a great outlet in his work on A Cosmic Treasury. A lost bundle of poetry — one poem for every week of the year, all related to astronomy — had been compiled by Beatrice W. Welling following a visit to our Observatory in 1944, and given as a gift to the Observatory Director. Mark could simply have published these beautiful poems, but being the renaissance man he was, he spent years pairing each one with fitting visual artwork sourced from museums around the world. The result is a masterpiece that reflects both Welling’s vision and Mark’s own artistic sensibility.

Mark was an energetic and impressive all-round individual who made a lasting impression on everyone he worked with. His passion was infectious — whether for astronomy, history, running, or creating the perfect live version of “Band on the Run”. And rain or shine, his enormous engagement was matched by his always cheerful spirit and his pure and kind soul.

Mark’s passion for astronomy and history, his expertise and care in curating our historical knowledge and artifacts, and his vision for the development of the Observatory have had an enormous impact on the more than 7,000 visitors we welcome every year. Without him, we would not be the active and attractive astronomy and history hub we are today. With him, we lose a source of energy, ideas, and inspiration — and above all, a passionate friend.

We were deeply moved to learn that Mark asked for donations to be made to the Observatory in lieu of flowers — a final reflection of his generosity and devotion to this place he helped shape.

Rest in peace, Mark. Thank you for everything you did for the Observatory and its visitors, and for who you were to all those who knew you.

A Cosmic Treasury, an evening in Mark’s memory to celebrate our historical and cultural heritage is held at the Observatory each year on 20 August.