Mirek Plavec, 82; Noted Astronomer, UCLA Professor

Professor Mirek Plavec, a longtime resident of Pacific Palisades, died peacefully in his sleep January 23. He was 82. Dr. Plavec was professor emeritus of astronomy at UCLA, and author of several books on astronomy, including ‘Stars, Comets and Meteors,’ ‘Radioastronomy,’ ‘History of Astronomy’ (in Czech, with Zdenek Horsky), and ‘Close Binary Stars: Observations and Interpretations,’ co-authored with Palisadian Daniel Popper in 1981. He also wrote about 220 articles published in international research journals, mostly on close binary stars. Born in Czechoslovakia in 1925, Plavec received a Ph.D. in astronomy from Charles University in Prague in 1955. He worked for the next 13 years at the Astronomical Institute of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in Ondrejov, including a stint as chairman of the stellar department. After the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, Plavec moved his family to the United States, where he continued his research as well as teaching astronomy at UCLA for over 25 years. He loved teaching both undergraduate students about the stars, as well as the more serious graduate students of astrophysics. Plavec and his wife, Zdenka, raised both of their children in Pacific Palisades. After retirement, he wrote a popular weekly column, ‘Starry Skies over Santa Monica,’ for the Santa Monica Mirror. For the last several years he was known as the nice old man in the window to all the residents and dog walkers on Jacon Way. Dr. Plavec received numerous awards over the years, and achieved international recognition in his field. One asteroid is named after him, and in 2006 he was honored when the 240th symposium of the International Astronomical Union was dedicated in his honor. In addition to Zdenka, his wife of 57 years, Plavec is survived by his daughter, Dr. Helena Kirkpatrick (husband Ted) of South Carolina; a son, Jirka “George” Plavec (wife Virginia) of Pacific Palisades; and four grandchildren, Andrea, Paul, Jimmy and Johnny. A memorial will be held in March at the Griffith Park Observatory. Professor Plavec was a strong supporter of public education and would appreciate donations in his honor to PRIDE at Paul Revere Middle School and the Palisades High Booster Club.