Named in honor of Charles Townsend, a retired laser physicist and community-college instructor of astronomy and mathematics, and a former president of the Ventura County Astronomical Society and the Western Amateur Astronomers. He has co-authored two books, Patrolling Night Skies (1984) and Observational Astronomy (1989), the latter being used to teach an advanced astronomy course at Moorpark College. One of his students, John E. Rogers {see planet  (5517)}, is extremely grateful for Townsend’s encouragement and leadership. This led to the existence of the Camarillo Observatory, which has contributed to the astrometry of near-earth objects and comets generally since 1992. (M 31027) _ _.