A modern Galileo
Paul Wicker was walking through the halls of St. Lawrence Brindisi School in Watts not so long ago dressed as Renaissance astronomer Galileo Galilei when a young girl, no older than 10, tugged on his long robes. She knew who he was, and she had a question – how does someone become an astronomer?
“Do you like looking at the sky? Do you wonder about the stars?” Wicker asked back.
“Yes,” she replied.
“Then you already are an astronomer,” Wicker said.
In many ways, Wicker is very much a typical retiree. He enjoys traveling with his wife, backpacking and scuba diving. He volunteers. He often visits the beach, just a short walk from his Manhattan Beach home.
But by any reasonable measure, Wicker, 71, is anything but typical. To start, he’s known as “The Galileo Guy,” a title he’s earned by spending a few days each month introducing fifth-grade students across Los Angeles – and as far away as Southeast Asia – to the wonders of the universe. He does this dressed as the Father of Modern Science, telescope in hand.
Then there are his solo excursions abroad. He’s walked through slums lining Bogota on humanitarian missions and marched alongside mothers as they held aloft pictures of their murdered sons during anti-war demonstrations in downtown Buenos Aires. He’s consoled families who lost relatives in the 9-11 attacks.
And for the past 10 years, Wicker has dedicated himself almost entirely to a singular goal: advocating tirelessly for peace.
“I wasn’t always this crazy,” the father of four and grandfather of two says, smiling in his living room on a recent afternoon.
He shows a visitor the tattoo he got the day before – the head of a wolf etched into the top of his right arm. Wicker has more: a peace sign circling a dove on his right calf, barbed wire wrapped around a lighted candle – the symbol for Amnesty International – on the other. Etched on his left arm is the symbol for the Vietnam Friendship Village US 
Committee, a nonprofit organization that provides care to Agent Orange victims and supports a resident facility in Hanoi that cares for war victims. Wicker sits on the organization’s board of directors.
And for all his work, it’s the Galileo gig that has received the most attention. Wicker says students, regardless of race or class, seem to enjoy his presentations, which offer a break from the typical school day.
“I walk in and yell, ‘Buon giorno, I’m Galileo!,’” Wicker says, before diving into lessons about the moons of Jupiter and positions of the stars. “I want these kids, many of whom are from the inner city, to get excited. I want them to know that there’s stuff out there to discover. With astronomy, you keep on learning. Nobody knows it all.
“And I guarantee they’ll never forget their visit from Galileo.”
The classroom is a fitting environment for Wicker, a one-time math teacher at Lennox High School who went on to a computer science career for 30 years before getting laid off in the 1990 s.
It turned out to be a blessing. Only then did he discover a passion for volunteerism, advocacy work and, of course, astronomy.
And it was while on a backpacking trip to the Grand Canyon, while staring at the panorama of stars above the desert floor, that he decided to become an amateur astronomer. He soon joined the Los Angeles Astronomical Society.
“I was given the gift of time when I got laid off,” Wicker says. “I believe you have an obligation to give back. I believe in the common good.”
He’s carried that belief with him on the road, providing assistance to victims of catastrophe across the country as a volunteer for the American Red Cross Disaster Services. He’s helped families in Los Angeles who watched their homes burn down find hotel rooms and buy groceries. He’s set up emergency shelters during floods and hurricanes in Louisiana, and fed rescue workers in the days after the 2000 crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 off the coast of Ventura.
A month after 9-11, he flew to New Jersey to visit family members of victims who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks, providing financial and emotional support on behalf of the Red Cross.
He often leaves at a moment’s notice, and does it all free of charge.
Some of his most memorable trips, however, have been abroad.
In Vietnam, he’s visited victims of Agent Orange, a toxic herbicide that was sprayed over the country during the Vietnam War and leads to severe birth defects.
His wife of 45 years, Nancy, says her husband’s travels – especially to far-flung destinations in Southeast Asia and South America – can be worrisome.
“We’ve come to an understanding,” said Nancy, who added that she fully supports her husband’s activism. “He’s a light traveler and doesn’t believe in taking electronics with him – no phone, no laptop.”
So he sends updates, one email at a time – if he can find an Internet cafe.
“There are times when he can’t find one,” she said. “That’s when I get worried.”
Back in the South Bay, Wicker is active in several local anti-war groups, including San Pedro Neighbors for Peace and Justice, a community organization that works to promote peace. He often stands in front of local high schools, discussing warfare and military life with students considering a stint in the armed forces. He tells them that his own son, Charlie, was once in the Army, too, and fought in Operation Desert Storm.
“I don’t tell them you can’t join the military,” Wicker says. “I just tell them to go in with their eyes open.”
Chris Venn, a member of the San Pedro group who has worked with Wicker speaking to students at Gardena High School, said his passion for peace advocacy is palpable.
“He’s very funny, very witty, very articulate,” said Venn, 64. “And he always has a grin on his face. He’s a great person to work with. He’s very approachable.”
When he returns from trips overseas, Wicker often reports back to his peace groups, offering detailed presentations on his journeys and describing the people he has met.
“He’s curious and from his travels he’s been able to come back to this country and give us a well-informed, unique point of view,” Venn says. “He says, ‘I was there and this is what I saw.’ It’s a very powerful message.”
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