Chet Raymo

Chester Theodore Raymo Jr. (September 17, 1936 – January 25, 2026) was an American writer, educator and naturalist. He was Professor Emeritus of Physics at Stonehill College, in Easton, Massachusetts. His weekly newspaper column "Science Musings" appeared in the Boston Globe for twenty years from 1983 to 2003, now collected and extended with his further writings on his personal website. Raymo espoused his religious naturalism in When God is Gone Everything is Holy – The Making of a Religious Naturalist and frequently in his blog. He said: "I attend to this infinitely mysterious world with reverence, awe, thanksgiving, praise. All religious qualities."

Raymo was a contributor to The Notre Dame Magazine and Scientific American.

Raymo's most famous book is the novel entitled The Dork of Cork, which was made into the feature-length film Frankie Starlight. He is also the author of Walking Zero, a scientific and historical account of his wanderings along the Prime Meridian in Great Britain. He was the recipient of the 1998 Lannan Literary Award for his non-fiction work.

Raymo espoused a scientific skepticism for his beliefs:

Raymo died on January 25, 2026, at the age of 89.

Major works 1982 365 Starry Nights 1984 Biography of a Planet 1985 The Soul of the Night 1987 Honey from Stone 1990 In the Falcon's Claw 1991 The Virgin and the Mousetrap: Essays in Search of the Soul of Science, Viking Books 1993 The Dork of Cork 1998 Skeptics and True Believers 2000 Natural Prayers 2001 An Intimate Look at the Night Sky 2003 The Path 2004 Climbing Brandon 2005 Valentine 2006 Walking Zero 2008 When God is Gone, Everything is Holy