Charlie Mary Noble: Star
Fort Worth High School, 1895
Have you ever wondered where Fort Worth’s Noble Planetarium got its name? Did you know the facility is named for a woman?
Charlie Mary Noble was born to a pioneer family in Giddings, Texas in 1877. After moving to Fort Worth and graduating from Fort Worth High School (1895), Noble attended Warren Institute in Fort Worth, Sam Houston State College, and the University of Texas, where she received her Bachelor of Science. She earned her Master of Science Degree at Texas Christian University.
Noble was a Fort Worth public school teacher for 46 years. For 25 of those years, she was head of the math department at Paschal High School. She retired from the District in 1943. With World War II raging, she was asked to teach mathematics, astronomy and celestial navigation at TCU as part of the U.S. Navy’s V-12 officer training course. She continued to teach astronomy at the institution once the war had ended.
In 1947, Noble organized the Junior Astronomy Club at the Fort Worth Children’s Museum. She encouraged the formation of other astronomy clubs throughout Texas and beyond. During the country’s early experiments with satellites, Noble organized a group to visually track them. Her classes did work to assist Henry M. Neely, a lecturer and teacher at the Hayden Planetarium in New York City. He paid tribute to Noble in his book, The Stars by Clock and Fist. The procedures developed by Noble for junior astronomers were so successful they were adopted nationally by the Junior Division of the Astronomical League.
Noble was an active member of several organizations, including the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Texas Academy of Science and the Tarrant County Historical Society. TCU awarded her an honorary doctor of law degree for her wartime teaching activities and her distinguished work in astronomy. In 1954, she received the Altrusa Civic Award as “First Lady of Fort Worth” for her work in generating interest in astronomy among young people. In 1955, the Fort Worth Children’s Museum dedicated and named their planetarium in her honor. Noble served as regional director of the Southwestern Division of the Astronomical League of America. In 1956, the League presented her with its annual award for outstanding achievement in astronomy. She was the first woman to win the award. Noble died in 1959 in Fort Worth.