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C. D. Garmany (Biosphere-2, Columbia U.), K. E. Johnson (NRAO/U. Wisc.), J. W. Glaspey (NOAO)
About 40% of the galactic WR stars, the evolved descendants of massive O-stars, are associated with either early-type clusters or OB associations. As the lower mass limit for these stars is about 20 solar masses, it would be reasonable to expect that the parent association or cluster from which the WR star formed should still be nearby. We have chosen a number of galactic WR stars whose ties to clusters or associations are poor or non-existent, and carried out wide field photometry and spectroscopy. Since the published stellar data on the region surrounding these WR stars predates wide-field photometric investigations, one might expect that evidence of the cluster could be detected in a modern CCD study. The photometry was done using the Case-Western Reserve Schmidt telescope at Kitt Peak; preliminary spectroscopy was done with the 2.1 m at Kitt Peak. Our goal was to find evidence of the other massive stars which would be expected from a normal IMF. We present UBV photometry and preliminary spectral classification of the hottest stars in a region several degrees wide around WR 127 and WR 128. These fields are compared with the corresponding field around M17 , a well known hotbed of early-type stars. To our surprise, we have not been able to identify the expected number of O or early B stars around these WR stars.