Goldberg, Leo

Goldberg, Leo

(1918–87) astronomer; born in New York City. A tragic fire left his Polish immigrant family motherless and impoverished; academic promise resulted in his obtaining a scholarship to Harvard. He taught at the University of Michigan (1938–60), Harvard (1960–71), and directed the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Tucson (1971–77). He taught himself Russian to foster communication between Soviet and Western astronomers during the height of the Cold War.