Desert Peaks Section Angeles Chapter Sierra Club

John Backus(1911-1988) Active in the DPS: 1970-1988 Active in HPS; DPS As a young physicist John Backus helped develop the atomic bomb in the early 1940s. His later career was spent as a physics professor at USC from 1945 until 1980. He was an accomplished musician playing first bassoon for the El Camino Community College and the Pasadena Community orchestras. He also played the piano and kettle drum. Backus had a never-ending enthusiasm for the Hundred Peaks list which he completed six times. There are 270 peaks on the list all over 5 0 feet high. HPS Emblem holder #177 Backus started his peakbagging career in 1965 and first completed the list in 1971. He followed this with successive completions in 1975 1980 1983 1986 and 1987. Backus conceived and executed the idea of officially leading every peak on the Hundred Peaks list. For these efforts the Hundred Peaks Section bestowed several awards upon John and re-named their Leadership Award the John Backus Leadership Award in January of 1988 John Backus fueling up from his gorp bag in 1970
	John Backus soaking feet at Saddle Springs Camp June 1977
John Backus "list leading completion" on Frazier Mtn November 1978
	John Backus March 1970
John on Heart Bar Peak summer of 1980

John Backus leading as usual on Chuckwalla Peak 1972

S I E R R A C L U B C H R O N O L O G Y T H R U 2 0 0 6

1970	Joined the Desert Peaks Section
1970	Member - Hundred Peaks Section
1970	Member At Large - Hundred Peaks Section
1970	SPS Emblem
1971	DPS Emblem on Pinto Mountain
1971	HPS List Completion
1971	Hundred Peaks Section John Backus Leadership Award
1972	Mountaineering Committee - Desert Peaks Section
1974	Mountaineering Chair - Desert Peaks Section
1974	Vice Chairman - Desert Peaks Section
1974	Outings Chairman - Desert Peaks Section
1975	HPS Second List Completion
1976	DPS List Completion on New York Butte
1977	Angeles Chapter Outings Service Award
1978	Hundred Peaks Section R. S. Fink Service Award
1979	Angeles Chapter Chester Versteeg Outing Award
1979	HPS Leadership List Completion on Frazier Mountain
1979	Hundred Peaks Section Special Award - Leader Extra-ordinaire
1980	HPS Third List Completion
1981	SPS Senior Emblem
1983	HPS Fourth List Completion on Timber Mountain
1985	Mountain Records Chairman - Hundred Peaks Section
1986	Mountain Records Chairman - Hundred Peaks Section
1987	HPS Sixth List Completion on Garnet Peak
1987	Hundred Peaks Section Special Award - Mountain Records
1987	Mountain Records Chairman - Hundred Peaks Section
1988	Mountain Records Chairman - Hundred Peaks Section
1988	Last year active in the Desert Peaks Section