I've just lost a friend. His name is Dean Ketelsen. He apparently died of a heart condition. I met him through my friend Mike Terenzoni in Tucson some years ago. Dean was a prince of a man and generous beyond belief. He worked at the Mirror Lab at the University of Arizona, making 8 meter mirrors for giant telescopes around the world. But he was a dedicated amateur astronomer and loved to both photograph the night sky, and to show others the beauties of the heavens through his telescopes. And he was also an accomplished photographer of both the sky and of nature. One time he said that I should try shooting infrared photographs of nature, and I didn't seem too excited about it. Two weeks later a box arrived in the mail with an infrared converted camera he owned so that I could try it out. I was hooked and he let me use the camera for nearly a year! Back when this photograph was taken in 2016 I traveled with Stan Honda to visit Dean and Mike in Tucson, to do some observing and to tour two observatories. We could do this because Dean knew everyone and we got permission to visit the Large Binocular Telescope on Mt. Graham, while it was in use one night, and also to the McMath-Pierce Solar telescope on Kitt Peak. He also got us some observing time on a 24" telescope on Kitt Peak! I always enjoyed talking to him by email about both photography and astronomy. And now I can't do that any more, and that is such a loss. He had such energy for both his astronomical photography and outreach, and for his nature photography, which was exceptional. He was an inspiration to me because of that commitment to his photographic work. Dean had a tragedy in his life. In this photograph, I don't remember the woman on the left, but the woman in pink was his wife Melinda and she battled cancer with chemotherapy and radiation for three years, but lost the battle in the end. Dean has the orange shirt on. Mike Terenzoni is to the right of dean in the photograph, and then there is Stan Honda, and then Me. This was an wonderfully rich visit, where we spent a week doing things in Tucson with Mike and Dean, and I treasure that time we spent together.
7 comments:
Ken, very nice tribute to Dean. From the little I knew him, your description of his life is accurate. He definitely was enthusiastic about photography, astronomy and helping others. Very sorry you lost a friend.
Stan
My sincere condolences to you, his family and friends. Your tribute to Dean shows how rich your lives were having him as a friend.
Joan
Ken, nice tribute about a close friend. It shows how deeply the human connection can be. My condolences to you and his family.
Mark S.
I am so sorry for the loss of your friend, Dean. Your heartfelt description of this generous and giving man is remarkable. Betsey
Today's blog post will serve as a lasting memory and a wonderful tribute to your good friend, Dean.
Beautiful tribute to my brother, Ken. We are trying to write his obituary and are at a loss for words. Is it okay if I use your description of his work and hobbies? You described him so well! I would like your permission before I do that. I am sorry for your loss. We are all heart-broken, too. I found your blog when I googled his name. We are trying to find out any memberships he had. I know he spoke often of the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association. We are at a loss of what to do with all his telescopes and cameras. I don't know is the Astronomy club takes those kind of donations. I will have to try to contact them. Thanks for being such a good friend to Dean! rkkrein@fbcom.net
Hello, Ken. I’m the woman on the left! I remember this evening very well. The tribute to Dean was a true expression of the wonderful man he was. I was lucky enough to have dinner with him a few weeks ago and now will truly miss our visits when he would come to “Ketelsen East”. Thank you for sharing.
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