Part-time teacher, student; full-time carefree spirit
Emily Hertlein
-Staff Writer-
As part-time astronomy photographer Rick Menendez sits on top of his desk, squinting his eyes, he recalls the adventures he’s had and talks about his love for anything “high energy.”
Menendez, a South County native, said his entire life is based on the motto “seeking the truth and finding fun in everything.”
“I’m single, so I like to have fun. I like going bar hopping and chasing girls,” said Menendez. Menendez said he lives with the mentality of a teenager.
“If you’re not having fun [doing something], then why do it?” asks Menendez. He describes himself as one who is generally, “wild, always having fun, and doing crazy stuff within reason,”
Menendez describes astronomy his passion, something that keeps him questioning “Where did everything come from? Why we are here… while admiring the beauty of it all,” said Menendez.
Besides astronomy, there are many other things to that Menendez said exhilarate himsuch as skiing, ice hockey and snowboarding. He explained this is because he enjoys the cold weather and being outdoors. “I ski and snowboard almost every day in the winter,” said Menendez.
Aside from being a thrill seeker, Menendez takes a moment to slow down and put aside everything else in order to care for his mother and her twin sister, both 90 years of age, but also to play with his cat, Bumpkin.
Menendez said he enjoys things that allow him to grow intellectually, while allowing him to have some fun as well. This may explain why, though he said real passion is astronomy, he actually obtained a Bachelor of Arts. in Physical Geography at University of Missouri–Columbia. “There was simply too much math involved in an astronomy degree,” said Menendez.
Even when listening to his preferred progressive rock music, he is looking for the logistics as well as seeking the entertainment. “Other than a pretty face, [what makes me most excited], is when I am involved in something that is both intellectually stimulating and physically enjoyable; that’s why I like going to auto races,” said Menendez. He was even given what he describes as, the opportunity of a lifetime, being able to attend race car school at the Indie 500 track. Menendez recalls the highlight of the “high energy” trip, when being able to cruise around the track going 180 miles per hour with a professional race car driver then enjoying dinner with the Indie 500 champion himself, Rick Mears.
With many areas of interest in his life, Menendez recently re-enrolled as a student at Meramec.
“I’m keeping my options open, possibly thinking about going into a different field, depending on the economy.”
As a professor, Menendez said his goal is to design the class around the student. Once again a student himself, Menendez understands the heavy work load many professors burden students with, which is why he chooses to do just the opposite. “A lot of introductory science classes throw too much math into it; they need to cut that down. I try to make it fun,” said Menendez. He says he’s just “not rigid” and could never be “the corporate type.”
Menendez is involved in many astronomical events in St. Louis, outside of being a part time student and professor, and says he attends lectures in the city, whenever they are offered. As a member of the St. Louis Astronomical Society, SLAS, Menendez has many opportunities to participate in events in the area, such as: Washington University lectures, the Astronomy Club, Saint Louis Science Center, and even radio appearances. Many of these events are strictly volunteer-based, which Menendez explains as an important aspect of his life. Recently, Menendez was a guest speaker for the radio show, “The Dave Glover show”, during which he discussed the String Theory.
“The String Theory unites all forces of the universe explaining what caused the Big Bang Theory. It’s the cutting edge theory which involves parallel universes,” said Menendez. He has also had the privilege of meeting one of the original Apollo astronauts, Edgar Mitchell.
Menendez said it was the big race to the moon that sparked the excitement of astronomy for him. Long before Menendez had begun to envision the various adventures he would have in his life, he was a young boy with his eyes glued to the television with anticipation.
The race was full speed ahead, both the Russians and Americans fighting for the title of first country to land a man on the moon.
“It was a race, trying to beat the bad guys,” said Menendez after this exciting historical era, he grew fascinated with the philosophical aspect of astronomy.
“Astronomy is a form of recreation. You’re looking back in time, it makes you think about where things came from,” said Menendez. “It’s a little different than keeping up with baseball; it’s inspiring and mind boggling.” It’s the idea that astronomy not only gets Menendez’s brain flowing but his blood pumping as well which is one consistency he maintains in all forms of involvement and entertainment in his life. “Do good things and still have a good time,” is Menendez’s ultimate goal.
His advice is simply, “Don’t take things too seriously, laugh at your problems, and laugh at yourself.”
