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There's the scientist. There's the businessman. And there's the boy.
Seth Jarvis has defined himself by all three as head of one of Utah's premier science attractions — Clark Planetarium, an institution he has helped shape since it moved to Salt Lake City's Gateway Mall eight years ago.
Jarvis the scientist traces his connection to the stars. With the kind of animation that accompanies stories on big fish and buzzer shots, he says the iron in his blood — and everyone else's — was born inside dying stars. Wouldn't it be nice, he muses, if people understood that?
Jarvis the businessman talks about ticket sales at the planetarium's IMAX theater. Since incorporating Hollywood films into its late-afternoon and evening lineups, the screen has increased both foot traffic and profits.
Jarvis the boy remains captivated by constellations untold light years away, weaving words such as Hercules Cluster, Dumbbell Nebula and Andromeda Galaxy into conversation and reminiscing with fresh fascination his childhood memories of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first person in space.
"I just can't imagine a person who is more enthusiastic about what he does," says Salt Lake County Councilman David Wilde, who serves on the planetarium board.
It takes only a few minutes, sitting in a blue IMAX theater rocker in Jarvis' office, to sense that enthusiasm.
"Can I tell you about how you are connected to the universe in ways that no astrologer ever dreamed?" the planetarium director asks. "The gold in your teeth, the iron in your blood, the oxygen in your lungs, the carbon in the food — all of those things are atoms that began when a star died. The advent of human intelligence can be seen, physically, as stars becoming aware of themselves. That is a very powerful concept."
Powerful enough that Jarvis has devoted decades of his life to the cosmos, starting in 1978 when he landed his first job at Hansen Planetarium as an usher.
Not that Jarvis imagined he would make a career out of it. He was a psychology student at the University of Utah who saw his future in unraveling the mysteries of the mind, not space. But he needed a job. And the planetarium sounded more exciting than another part-time office work prospect at Planned Parenthood, which paid about 25 cents more an hour.
That simple decision shaped the life of this Minnesota-born, Utah-reared stargazer, who built his first telescope at age 12 and never doubted that astronauts would someday leave footprints on Mars and that 2001: A Space Odyssey would become reality rather than science fiction.
So even though Jarvis completed his bachelor's degree in psychology, he never pursued that as a career. Instead, the stars aligned his future with that of the planetarium's.
He went from usher to cashier, using his down time to devour the star shop's inventory of books. He then moved up to science demonstrator, where he was put on the road as part of a statewide science outreach program. Then came an administrative job as education manager, followed by a second-in-command position as associate director for administration and planning.
And yet Jarvis' trajectory was interrupted in the 1990s. The planetarium director describes it as the "running naked through the jungle" time of his life when he tried his hand at running a computer graphics business, among other things. But his fascination with the heavens ultimately led him back to astronomy.
He became the last director of the Hansen Planetarium and the first director of the new Clark Planetarium, which now serves about 300,000 people a year.
"You'll never meet a man more passionate about his work," Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon remarks. "He has done an amazing job in bringing what was a money-losing facility to a break-even facility."
Jarvis' combination of cosmic curiosity and commercial know-how has made a mark on the planetarium,which has tripled its yearly attendance since moving to The Gateway.
For one thing, he championed the idea of building a bigger star shop. The Clark Planetarium is now more than three times the size of the former Hansen Planetarium, at 50,000 square feet.
He pushed for solar panels on the planetarium roof, allowing the downtown attraction to draw up to 25 kilowatts of energy from Earth's nearest star: the sun. That project, combined with an aggressive energy-conservation effort that has put exhibits on timers and yanked light bulbs from soda machines, has saved the planetarium about $55,000 in energy costs during the past four years.
He worked with the Larry H. Miller family to upgrade the planetarium's computer system, enabling the facility to remain one of the world's top star show producers. A map near Jarvis' office shows Utah-made productions — represented by push pins — in planetariums across the globe.
And he brokered a partnership with The Gateway's Megaplex complex to show Hollywood films on the planetarium's IMAX screen — such hits as "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides."
Some initiatives have earned him kudos. Others have raised eyebrows.
Jarvis concedes that his latest effort — punching a hole in the wall between the planetarium and the Megaplex 12 last year to bring Hollywood blockbusters to the IMAX — caused even him some consternation. Would box office hits erode the planetarium's mission?
But Jarvis says the planetarium was faced with an unpleasant reality. The production of science-based IMAX documentaries had declined dramatically and unless the facility could offer something new, attendance could drop, too.
"It is something you have to develop some stomach acid over," Jarvis says. "But let's face it, at 8 o'clock at night, you don't want to learn about black holes. You are there with your date and you want to have fun. If you happen to be accidentally exposed to our exhibits while you are in the building, awesome. We have got you anyway."
Although Hollywood hasn't released a smash hit for the planetarium this year — think "I Am Number Four," "The Green Hornet" and "Mars Needs Moms" — the IMAX screen has generated a solid $183,000 during its first four months. That's exactly one-third of its projected earnings of $550,000 this year.
The theater also has seen a bump in attendance. During those same four months in operation, the IMAX attracted 84,260 people, up from the previous year's 69,799. Jarvis says the planetarium also has seen a boost in memberships, concessions and dome theater tickets.
"You hold tight to the educational mission," Jarvis says, "while reaching for new ways to be clever about supporting that educational mission."
It was the correct decision, Wilde says.
"We have all had our reservation about going down the Hollywood route," he says. "But on balance, it was probably the right thing to do."
Right for the businessman. Right for the scientist. And right for the boy that still finds mystery among the stars.
twitter: Stettler_Trib —
Seth Jarvis
Age • 56
Family • Wife, Susie; children, a blended family of eight
Occupation • Director of Clark Planetarium
Education • Bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Utah
Fun fact • Only recently gave up motorcycling with his wife. The pair owned BMW road bikes.