In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

244 c h a p t e r e l e v e n The Third Decade (1976–1985) M LO did not receive notice about the termination of their office space lease at the Cloud Physics Observatory for more than a month after the notification letter was sent. Then on January 15, 1976, Judy Pereira received a copy of the letter forwarded from the National Weather Service. Both MLO and the Cloud Physics Observatory were happy with the office arrangements and the scientific collaborations they had with one another, but the university insisted that the lease would be terminated. Pereira describes what followed as “the office space war.” The Office Space War (1976) On January 27, MLO director Ronald Fegley sent a “Request for Space” form to the General Services Administration . The next day, W. E. Alexander of the Procurement and Management Office of the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo sent a second letter to the National Weather Service Pacific Region in Honolulu. The letter repeats the lease termination language of the first letter and concludes with a shot fired over Ron Fegley’s desk: We would appreciate your official acceptance of this termination , however, if we do not hear from you by February 10, 1976, we will unilaterally end our agreement as provided for in the above contract and requested in our two letters. Fegley replied on February 3 and asked Alexander to reconsider: We feel that our work will be seriously disrupted if we have to move out because much of our work is done in close cooperation with the Cloud Physics staff and their facilities. They in turn have the use of our equipment and supplies. We also have a working relationship with other campus divisions (i.e. chemistry, physics, Beaumont Ag. Station) that has been mutually beneficial and will be difficult to maintain if we are not located on campus. Meanwhile, Dr. John Miller, who was slated to take over as the new MLO director, learned of the office space war and joined the fray in a letter dated February 9 to Fegley: I feel that we must make every effort to remain in the present offices. Though there are disadvantages involved, I think the contact between the MLO staff and the University personnel is scientifically useful and should be maintained at all costs. Since I will have to live with whatever decision is made, please let me know how things go. The Third Decade (1976–1985) 245 Charles Fullerton, director of the Cloud Physics Observatory , joined with MLO in a detailed, three-page appeal (February 26, 1976) to the president and chancellor of the UniversityofHawai‘iatHilo.Fullertonvigorouslyprotested the seemingly abrupt manner in which the lease termination was being pursued. He noted that MLO office space included lab and storage space that would not be suitable for office use. He then launched into a lengthy summary of the beneficial nature of the ten-year relationship with MLO, including providing jobs to university students, joint research projects, sharing of equipment, facilities, and science periodicals, and MLO–sponsored seminars in which internationally renowned scientists made presentations. Fullerton described all these collaborations as a “critical mass” of scientific personnel, and he copied his appeal to a dozen officials at the University of Hawai‘i and NOAA. Alexander sent the university’s final decision on April Fools’ Day (April 1, 1976): After careful consideration . . . the University of Hawaii regrets to inform you that its request for your lease termination effective July 1, 1976 . . . must prevail. The University appreciates the cooperation and benefits derived from our mutual use of facilities, equipment, and expertise , however, it has to consider all priorities within the system and unfortunately the Mauna Loa Observatory must suffer the consequences of our limited resources. Judy Pereira (1996) took on the responsibility of finding new office space, and the candidate sites were the downtown Federal Building and the former customs building at the Hilo docks. With help from the General Services Administration, she and Fegley eventually found new  "  † !   ‡“~%    Avenue in downtown Hilo (Plate 22). The main part of the two-story building, which is one of the most distinguished structures in Hilo, was built in 1910 to serve as the Hilo Post Office, and two facing wings were added to the ends of the original building in 1936. The observatory that had originally been headquartered in an office in the Air Cargo building at the airport was about to move into the second floor of the classiest...

Share