About the Planet Walk

The walk begins at the north west corner of Albertus Hall. From this starting point, you will be able to see the first four planets on the walk. The first four planets are relatively closely spaced with the third representing Earth. These planets are just the beginning of your tour and we hope that you continue with the walk by visiting all of the planets throughout campus!

The Foster Planet Walk was funded by a generous grant from Dr. Anthony and Linda Foster, both graduates of Aquinas College, whose love of science and the arts made this educational attraction a reality.

The Earth from Space*
You look like a total stranger.
No hint of the familiar ground
beneath our feet, but a gauze-wrapped sapphire
suspended in heavy black and disbelief.
That’s what they must have seen:
those men on the moon who only dreamed you
on the horizon, over their shoulders. Forgetting
for one long moment the difference between
night and day, water and air, home and here.
– Linda Nemec Foster

Biographical Note
Tony and Linda (Nemec) Foster embody a marriage of art and science. Both graduates of Aquinas, they met in college during the late ’60s. Tony went on to medical school at Wayne State University and is currently a general surgeon in practice in Grand Rapids. He is also on the teaching staff of Butterworth Hospital. Linda received her Master in Fine Arts from Goddard College in Vermont. She is an established poet and writer whose work has been published in numerous journals and literary magazines both regionally and nationally. Linda is also a teacher, conducting poetry workshops for the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs. The Fosters live in Grand Rapids with their children, Brian and Ellen.

*Copyrighted © 1995 by Linda Nemec Foster. This poem was originally published in The Artful Dodge, Fall, 1995. All rights reserved. The poem cannot be used in any way without the consent of the author.

Originally Published by Aquinas College, click here to view article.