GRAAA Reflections: November 2025

Each month this year, we will share with you a significant image from the GRAAA archives as the group commemorates 70 years of existence in 2025. The images are selected to reveal not only significant history, but also some lighter moments.

Andrew Fraser, who was the featured speaker for the November 20th virtual meeting, started his amateur astronomy career from his backyard in Muskegon at age 12 in the early 1960s, soon becoming one of the youngest active members of the Port City Amateur Astronomers. He became active in GRAAA during his undergraduate college years at GVSU, and taught basic astronomy classes for youngsters offered at the Grand Rapids Public Museum (above). He was one of those present during the momentous evening in the summer of 1968, when the original 12-inch reflecting telescope (built entirely by GRAAA members) was assembled in the nearly-completed west dome of the Veen Observatory. In the photo from that occasion (below), Andy is bottom right, just below a much younger Dave DeBruyn. Can you identify any other GRAAA members from that long ago era?