Dobson, John
From Spearfish Lake Tales Wiki
John Dobson is a real person. He is a noted amateur astronomer and has even appeared on the Tonight Show. John is credited with pioneering simple telescope design a process now called The Dobsonian telescope. Mark and Jackie Gravengood meet him at the Texas Star Party in 1971, one of the largest dark sky viewing parties in the US.
More information on John can be found on Wikipedia at this link John Dobson.
