Cyril G. Wates
Encyclopedia
Cyril G. Wates was born in Brixton
, England and immigrated to Edmonton
, Canada
in 1909 where he worked for City of Edmonton Municipal Telephone System as an engineer. He joined the Alpine Club of Canada
in 1916 and would go on to climb more than fifty peaks. He was the first to ascend Mt. Geikie in the Canadian Rockies, responsible for the Alpine Club’s book “Songs for Canadian Climbers” and named Mt. Minotaur located in British Columbia, south of Geikie Creek. He served as president of the Club from 1938 to 1941 and oversaw the construction of a cabin in the Tonquin Valley in Jasper National Park
in Alberta, that is now known as the Wates-Gibson Hut. He received a Fellowship in the Royal Canadian Geographic Society in 1939.
Wates was an accomplished amateur astronomer who served as president of Edmonton Center of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada
. He also wrote for academic journals and magazines such as Scientific American
and the RASC Journal and was awarded the Chant Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada for “for outstanding amateur contribution to astronomy in Canada” through his work in 1943. The year before, Wates had built a 12.5 inch reflector telescope that he donated to the University of Alberta for their future observatory. The University now offers the Cyril G. Wates Memorial Prize and Scholarship for mathematics.
With a passion for science, it is little surprise that Wates’ interests lent themselves to his writing. His first story, The Visitation, was published in 1927 in Amazing Stories
as winner of the $500 Cover Prize Contest. Although his last published piece appeared in 1930, it is evident that his interest in the budding genre of science fiction remained as his letters appeared in the magazine until 1935.
Brixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, England and immigrated to Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1909 where he worked for City of Edmonton Municipal Telephone System as an engineer. He joined the Alpine Club of Canada
Alpine Club of Canada
The Alpine Club of Canada is a mountain club with a National Office in Canmore, Alberta that has been a focal point for Canadian mountaineering since its founding in 1906. The club was co-founded by Arthur Oliver Wheeler, who served as its first president, and Elizabeth Parker, a journalist for...
in 1916 and would go on to climb more than fifty peaks. He was the first to ascend Mt. Geikie in the Canadian Rockies, responsible for the Alpine Club’s book “Songs for Canadian Climbers” and named Mt. Minotaur located in British Columbia, south of Geikie Creek. He served as president of the Club from 1938 to 1941 and oversaw the construction of a cabin in the Tonquin Valley in Jasper National Park
Jasper National Park
Jasper National Park is the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies, spanning 10,878 km² . It is located in the province of Alberta, north of Banff National Park and west of the City of Edmonton. The park includes the glaciers of the Columbia Icefield, hot springs, lakes, waterfalls and...
in Alberta, that is now known as the Wates-Gibson Hut. He received a Fellowship in the Royal Canadian Geographic Society in 1939.
Wates was an accomplished amateur astronomer who served as president of Edmonton Center of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada
Royal Astronomical Society of Canada
The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada is a national, non-profit, charitable organization devoted to the advancement of astronomy and related sciences. At present, there are 29 local branches of the Society, called centres, located in towns and cities across the country from St. John's,...
. He also wrote for academic journals and magazines such as Scientific American
Scientific American
Scientific American is a popular science magazine. It is notable for its long history of presenting science monthly to an educated but not necessarily scientific public, through its careful attention to the clarity of its text as well as the quality of its specially commissioned color graphics...
and the RASC Journal and was awarded the Chant Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada for “for outstanding amateur contribution to astronomy in Canada” through his work in 1943. The year before, Wates had built a 12.5 inch reflector telescope that he donated to the University of Alberta for their future observatory. The University now offers the Cyril G. Wates Memorial Prize and Scholarship for mathematics.
With a passion for science, it is little surprise that Wates’ interests lent themselves to his writing. His first story, The Visitation, was published in 1927 in Amazing Stories
Amazing Stories
Amazing Stories was an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction...
as winner of the $500 Cover Prize Contest. Although his last published piece appeared in 1930, it is evident that his interest in the budding genre of science fiction remained as his letters appeared in the magazine until 1935.
Short Stories and Novellas
- (1927) The Visitation Amazing StoriesAmazing StoriesAmazing Stories was an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction...
June - (1929) The Face of Isis Amazing Stories March
- (1929) Gold Dust and Star Dust Amazing Stories Sept
- (1930) A Modern Prometheus Amazing Stories Quarterly Fall
- (1930) Letter (Amazing Stories, February)
- (1934) Letter (Amazing Stories, January)
- (1935) Letter (Amazing Stories, August)
Non-Fiction Works
- (1919) "The Alpine Club of Canada" Toronto World, Sept. 9.
- (1930) "The memorial cabin on Penstock Creek" Canadian Alpine JournalCanadian Alpine JournalThe Canadian Alpine Journal is the yearly magazine of the Alpine Club of Canada. It serves as a worldwide journal of record for achievements in climbing, mountaineering, ski mountaineering, and exploration of mountains....
- (1933) and E.R. Gibson "The Eremite and beyond" Canadian Alpine Journal
- (1937) "Following the footsteps of the fur traders" Canadian Alpine Journal
- (1942) "Space, time and meaning" Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of CanadaJournal of the Royal Astronomical Society of CanadaThe Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada is a bimonthly peer reviewed scientific journal published by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada since 1907. The title in French is Journal de la Société royale d'astronomie du Canada. The founding editor was Clarence Chant...
, Vol. 36, Sept. - (1944) “Adjusting the Polar Axis” Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Vol. 38, p. 154 April
- (1944) “Edmonton Observations of an Occultation of Jupiter” Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Vol. 38, p. 171 April