eulogy Written by Randy Grashuis

Delivered by Randy Grashuis
To Friends of The Ledlows
On June 11th, 2004
At Lourdes Church, La Serena Chile

Buenos dias a todos. Con su permisso hablare acerca de Michael en Ingles,
por que esto es aun mas dificil para mi en Castellano. Gracias.

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Randy Grashuis and I'm a co-worker of Michael's at Gemini.

I've had the profound honor of knowing Mike for almost half my life.
Whether you've known him for 15 years or you'd just met him, you'd have the same impression of him. He was a gentle, gracious man, with a subtle wit and a reassuring presence. He was also adventurous, multi-talented, strong-willed.

I first met Mike when he was a grad student at the University of New Mexico, and I was an undergrad. We worked together at a small, broken-down university observatory in the mountains outside of Albuquerque. He really loved those mountains, so much so that he and Cheryl made it their home in later years.

Though it was only a 24-inch telescope, and we had to fill the dewar by hand with a bicycle pump, he was forever determined to make the best of what we had. Being from a small observatory and having limited resources was not a disadvantage for him, but welcome challenge.

Not only was he willing to make the extra effort to do really good science, but he made the extra effort to actually enjoy the process. At the summit, we listened to music from his extensive collection. He was so comfortable there that he sometimes wore slippers while observing. He wrote funny little stories in the night log. And we talked about everything. Observing with Mike was always a pleasant mixture of concentration and conversation. Even when he got to Gemini, I'm not sure he considered his job a "real job". He was just doing something he loved to do and he was fortunate enough to get paid to do it.

Some of Mike's observing traditions he continued at Gemini. Those Chilean sayings he wrote at the end of the Gemini night logs became his trademark. It was just like him to go the extra step to put something in the log that others would enjoy reading - or for some us, enjoy trying to translate.

During the time he was a grad student, Mike made regular trips between New Mexico and Oklahoma to spend quality time with his girl friend at the time, Cheryl. Even back then, while firmly in the grip of grad school's indentured servitude, Mike kept a diligent balance between his work and his personal relationships, nurturing both equally.

Once he got his Ph.D., he and Cheryl - now his wife - moved down the road to the southern part of the state, to Las Cruces where Mike had a post-doc at New Mexico State University. Here he had access to more powerful telescopes, but every once in a while he would start to feel nostalgic. So he'd call me up and ask for observing time on that little telescope at UNM. I could tell he had a soft spot for that old telescope that he'd used during his grad school days. And we continued to spend more nights collecting those elusive photons on that mountaintop.

While living in Las Cruces, he and Cheryl decided to start experimenting with brewing homemade beer. During the following years, they perfected their technique. And fortunately for many us here we've had the pleasure of enjoying some of Mike's fine home brewed creations.

Just a few months ago he invited me over so that we could brew ourselves a nice, dark, robust Porter. His first home brewing lesson for me was that "you can't brew beer without enjoying a good beer while brewing". He was as meticulous with his notes on home brewing as he was with his notes at the telescope and the results showed in the excellent batch of beer that we created. Of course we also got expert assistance from both Andria and Abby.

After a few years in Las Cruces, Mike, Cheryl and now Andria, came back to Albuquerque where Mike became a visiting professor at UNM. While at UNM he accepted a position at Gemini South. Right away, he started to encourage me to join him, to aim for something bigger, where we could collect more photons on yet another mountaintop on the other side of the planet. I suspect he also spent some time subtly encouraging Phil to give this anonymous guy from a no-name university the opportunity for an interview.

When Mike, Cheryl, Andria and now Abby moved on to Chile, they met a whole new cast of wonderful characters. - That would be you guys. -

Several months after they arrived in Chile the opportunity came for me to consider a similar move. I spent several hours on the phone with none other than my dear friend Mike. Always willing to lend a thoughtful ear, his easygoing attitude and encouragement helped me think through all the options until I came to the inevitable conclusion.

It was during that conversation that he revealed to me one of his greatest assets. Of himself he said: "I am nothing if not subtle". -Subtlety- That one comment is still the one thing that sticks with me most when I think about Mike.

As excellent as his taste in beer was, it was even better in music. We could always count on him to bring along new and interesting music selections for those long nights at the summit. The soundtrack made working a night at the telescope with Mike both a stimulating and relaxing experience. Everyone here quickly realized that he was truly a pleasure to work with.

As an Astronomer Mike led an active research career and used data from multiple wavelength regions, from the radio to the optical and everything in between, to study distant galaxies and galaxy clusters. However just last month he and I were discussing one specific paper that he recently published that held a special place in his heart. It was a modest paper about a unique galaxy with an unusual shape, but the thing that got Mike so excited was that it was the only paper that he was ever able to publish that contained data from both Gemini South and that old, broken down telescope that he had used as a grad student. It turned out that the nostalgia he was feeling all those years ago paid off in the end.

Other people have mentioned this, and I have to agree. What made Mike such an exceptional person was not only how he excelled at his work but how well he balanced his professional and his family life. In a place where it is easy to get wrapped up in your work, he always seemed to know when it was time to stop and go play with Andria and Abby, or to go home to spend time with Cheryl.

I realize that my experience with Mike is only one of so many lives that he has touched. I'm sure his gentle demeanor and kind hearted generosity have affected all of the people here in a large way. For all of us, he will continue to be an inspiration. He has been a guide for me throughout my life whether he was in the same room or thousands of miles away. He continues to inspire me to follow in his footsteps, and to quietly strive to achieve my own aspirations. Even though now he has gone where we can't follow, I think he can still be a guide for all of us.

As we ask ourselves "How does he still guide us?" and "What would Mike have wanted us to do?" I can think of a few things. First of all, we can help look after Cheryl, Andria, Abby, Pepper and Patuka the best we can and help them with anything that they need - not just now and in the next few weeks - but for as long as they need us. Also, we can continue to do the work that he loved so much, appreciate the opportunity to work here, with the best technology and the finest people in the world. And last, but not least, I think he would like us to continue to drink good beer in his honor.

Thank you all for letting me share this with you and thank you Mike for enriching our lives in so many ways.