Gretchen Kolsrud a past President of NVPS [1987-8] passed away on Wednesday, January 31, 2018 at her home in Medford, Oregon from esophageal cancer.  Gretchen was born in Schenectady, NY, and after receiving a PhD in microbiology, came to the Washington area to work at the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), the research arm of Congress.  Gretchen was active in many NVPS programs and events and was known for her many arresting and eye-catching photos of people, landscapes, nature, architecture, as well macro and abstract images.  In addition to her photo workshops and critique sessions, Gretchen also hosted meetings at her home, where she was a gourmet cook, to share photographic knowledge and experiences.  She won numerous awards and recognition for her photography.   

After Congress eliminated the OTA in 1995, Gretchen retired and subsequently moved to Tucson, where she was active in her local photography club and developed an interest in astronomical photography, played pickle ball and golf, joined a flute circle, and hiked in the Catalina Mountains.  Gretchen subsequently developed a neurological disorder, originally thought to be a form of Parkinson’s disease, but later more correctly diagnosed as supranuclear palsy, a disorder which makes it difficult to walk.  As the disease progressed, Gretchen relocated to Oregon to be closer to her family.  Last year, doctors discovered a cancerous growth in her throat which eventually took her life.  Gretchen was always upbeat and fun to be around, lively and engaging, with a great sense of humor, an infectious curiosity about the world, a good travel companion (in spite of her tendency to misplace her passport), and a tireless hiker with an uncanny ability to identify a wide range of flora and fauna.   She could carry on a conversation about nearly any topic.  Her many friends will miss her a lot.