Starman of the Big Bend
by Steve Stainkamp
Danny Self, o w ner o f the Maratho n Mo tel, w ith the clamshell telesco pe o n the Mo tel pro perty.
“And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from night.
And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.
And God saw that it was good.’” ~Genesis 1:14-18
Luminary: 1. “a person of prominence or brilliant achievement,”
2. “a body that gives light; especially: one of the celestial bodies.” ~Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary
D
aniel “Danny” Self graduated
from Midland High School.
He spent 30 formative years of
his life in Austin, Texas, where he
excelled at business. On occasion
Danny would leave Austin for family
Thanksgiving trips to the Big Bend.
“At first,” Danny confessed, “I was not
all that impressed. The weather was
18
wet and gloomy, but as someone
smarter than me once said, ‘If you
don’t like the weather in Texas, stick
around.’ Invariably, by the next morn-
ing, gray drizzly skies would have
cleared and the sun would be shining
brightly.”
“And those stars at night—Wow!”
Over time, Danny fell in love with
Cenizo
Second Quarter 2017
Big Bend country, its citizens and its
star-studded night skies. He gave in to
the call and moved to Marathon in
2000, where he invested in real estate.
The new property owner fell in love
with the Big Bend, its Dark Skies and
starry firmament. Danny explained,
“This country’s collective, illuminated
city glare eclipses most of America’s
view of the night stars. On initial trips
to the Big Bend, away from the big city
lights and all that urban glare, I found
I could finally SEE the stars!”It wasn’t
long before Marathon’s newest resi-
dent Danny Self became a serious
stargazer.
Danny has owned the Marathon
Motel & RV Park at Highway 90 West