A 105-year-old Texas man is gearing up to watch the total solar eclipse on April 8th, but this won’t be his first rodeo.
Laverne Bizar of Fort Worth said her interest in astronomy began in high school in the 1930s. Umbraphile is a term used to refer to people who chase solar eclipses, and he said he spent his childhood stargazing on his parents’ Troy, Ohio, farm in the 1920s. FOX 4 Dallas.
“When we were kids, we were familiar with all the G5 constellations, like the shield of Orion and the Big Dipper,” he says.
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He still remembers the first time he saw the Milky Way as a child.
But it wasn’t until 1963 that he witnessed his first total solar eclipse and was hooked.
Forth Worth resident Laverne Bizar first saw a total solar eclipse in 1963 and has been hooked ever since. (Visser Family/Getty Images)
“Once you see one, you want to see them all, and you do everything you can to see them,” Visser said.
“It’s very beautiful.”
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Mr. Visser, an engineer by trade, received his bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University in 1942. He then earned his master’s degree at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and then took a job at General Dynamics, a global aerospace and defense company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Reston, Virginia.
Mr. Visser and his wife, Marion, who passed away in 2023 at the age of 97, enjoyed traveling and observing solar eclipses together.
Laverne and Marion Biser traveled across the country to see total solar eclipses like this photo taken in 1988. (Visser family)
When the couple wasn’t visiting the U.S. Virgin Islands or the Black Sea, they were driving around the country looking for the ideal spot to view a total solar eclipse.
At over 100 years old, he can still recite the story of the time he witnessed a solar eclipse.
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“1963, 1972, ’79, ’84, ’88, ’91, ’94, ’98, ’99, ’12, ’17, 2023,” Biser told FOX 4.
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The 2017 solar eclipse was the last solar eclipse he witnessed with his wife.
“It was a good game,” he said.
Seen here are a photo of the 1972 solar eclipse (left) and a photo of Visser preparing for the 1972 solar eclipse (right). (Visser Family/Getty Images)
Mr. Visser carefully planned his next solar eclipse observation. He decided to travel from Fort Worth to Plano.
“Here, I’m on the edge of a pattern, but it doesn’t last very long,” he said.
“That’s near the middle. It takes about three or four minutes over there. That’s where we’re going. My daughter is in Plano.”
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The amateur astronomer warns everyone to wear safety glasses when observing a partial solar eclipse, but says they can take them off once the total solar eclipse is reached.
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When asked about his health, Visser attributed his longevity and energy to his celibacy and not smoking or taking illegal drugs, according to FOX 4.
Laverne Biser, third from the right, was able to attend her granddaughter’s wedding in 2023. (Biser family, via FOX 4 Dallas)
“Just living a good Christian life,” he said.
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