From the Stars to the Earth

Jerry Schad, Mesa College astronomy professor, is truly a versatile explorer. He is as passionate about hiking the back country as he is studying the universe. What sets his ground and star treks apart from most is that he often documents and publishes his discoveries.

The energetic chair of the physical sciences department has written at least a dozen books and more than 400 magazine and newspaper articles. He has also had more than 600 of his photographs published.

Schad penned the first book of substance published (in 1976) on the subject of hiking in the San Diego region, Backcountry Roads and Trails, San Diego County.

“I write books because there are subjects that are crying out to be aired publicly,” he explained.

No doubt the writing process provides him with another form of exploration.

Some time early this year, Schad’s meticulously detailed book, Afoot and Afield in San Diego County,is expected to surpass 100,000 copies sold. First published in 1986, the book has been revised to keep hikers up to date on virtually every hike worth taking in the county. Both editions were published by Wilderness Press in Berkeley, and the latest edition is distributed nationally, including by Amazon.com.

Also online is information about his books Cycling San Diego, California Deserts, Afoot and Afield in Orange County, Afoot and Afield in Los Angeles County and 101 Hikes in Southern California.

“Hikers are out there by the tens of thousands, most of them using my books as a guide,” he noted. Schad began hiking as a San Diego State University graduate astronomy student.

He began writing a hiking column for the San Diego Reader in 1993 and it remains a popular feature of that weekly publication.

Schad recently co-hosted four episodes of “Afoot and Afield in San Diego” for KPBS, local public television. Plans are in the works for at least 13 more episodes, but are contingent on funding.

He is also an accomplished photographer, selling more than 120 images annually through an agency. His photos, primarily astronomical subjects, have been published worldwide in books, calendars and periodicals such as Readers Digest and Time Magazine. Schad’s stunning photograph of the Hale-Bopp comet made the cover of U.S. News & World Report Magazine in 1997.

A Mesa faculty member since 1975, Schad says he incorporates many of his extracurricular activities into the physical science and astronomy courses he teaches. One astronomy course features field trips to nearby mountain and desert locations.

And how does Schad manage to sustain such a high level of productivity? “I choose activities and tasks that have multiple applications.”

Astronomy professor Jerry Schad writes a universe of information about county hiking trails.

Photo by Edna Loeb