Dr. David Bradstreet's 50-Year Journey of Wonder & Worship

When Dr. David Bradstreet ’76 first stepped into an Eastern University classroom as a professor and alumnus in 1976, he had no idea he’d still be there half a century later. What began as a calling to operate a high school planetarium soon transformed into a lifelong mission to reveal God’s majesty through the universe.

“I always loved astronomy,” Bradstreet recalls. “When I was six years old, my brother had a big, ‘Golden Book of Astronomy’ that I used to flip through endlessly. By third grade, I knew I wanted to do this for a living.”

After helping run his high school planetarium, Bradstreet came to Eastern as a student intending to become a planetarium director. But mentors encouraged him to think bigger about how God might use his gifts. He went on to earn his master’s and Ph.D. in astronomy and astrophysics from the University of Pennsylvania while teaching as an adjunct at Eastern, becoming full time in 1983.

Over the past 50 years, Bradstreet has taught a wide range of courses across astronomy, physics, and mathematics. But what has kept him in the classroom isn’t the curriculum — it’s the students.

“The most rewarding part has been seeing the influence I’ve had on students, not just in their careers but in their personal and spiritual lives,” he reflects. He describes Eastern as “a place where faith and life come together,” a conviction that shapes how he approaches science.

“Science is about discerning truth,” he says. “And when you’re looking for truth, you’ll discover God, because God is the truth.” He reminds students that science and faith are not at odds but in conversation. “Science can’t tell you that there is or isn’t a God,” he says. “So when a scientist says there’s no God, that’s not a scientific statement.”

Bradstreet’s goal is to help students see that faith and inquiry can coexist. “I don’t want students to be afraid of science,” he adds. “Look at the universe and decide for yourself — is there a Creator behind this? To me, there’s no question.”

That same faith and vision helped build Eastern’s state-of-the-art observatory and planetarium. When he arrived, Eastern had only a small planetarium and a single telescope. “For 20 years we lugged that telescope up to the roof for labs,” he recalls. “It was better than nothing, but it didn’t allow us to conduct real research.”

In the 1990s, Bradstreet shared his vision for a true observatory with then-President Roberta Hestenes. With her blessing, he raised $450,000 through jog-a-thons, grants, and prayer to build it atop McInnis Hall in 1996, followed by another $170,000 to digitize the planetarium. “The best part was that this money didn’t come out of the students’ pockets,” he says. “All funds were raised by other donors and me, without drawing from university funds or tuition.”

That digital transformation inspired him to write a full-dome astronomy curriculum, now used in more than 800 planetariums worldwide. “You just need faith, fundraising, and generous supporters, and God will make it happen,” he says.

Bradstreet’s classes continue to awaken awe for God’s creation. “When students see the vastness of the universe and understand that the Creator of it all chose to die for us, it changes them at their core.”

As Eastern closes out its Centennial Year, Bradstreet reflects on both the School’s resilience and his own journey. “The biggest meaning behind the Centennial Year is that we’re having one,” he says. “Ten years ago, we weren’t sure we’d make it. But we did. And as long as we stay centered on Jesus, God will continue to bless this School.”

After 50 years, Dr. Bradstreet’s legacy is written not only in the stars (he even has an asteroid named after him!) but in the lives of generations of students who, looking through his telescopes, have seen more than the cosmos; they’ve seen their faith come into focus.

Bradstreet serves as Professor and Chair of the Astronomy and Physics department, as well as Director of the David H. Bradstreet Observatory and Julia Fowler Planetarium.