Mrs. Denni Frerichs Medlock
Denni has been active with The Astronomical Association of Northern California since it’s inception in the early 1970’s. She chaired the committee that wrote the AANC constitution, served as Board chair in 1972, and as AANC secretary many times.
Denni is a “Founding Mother” of the AANC – Fremont Peak Observatory Assn., the Large Amateur Telescope Project (LAT- Group 70), and was responsible for “finding the LAT Projects mirror. Along with Shea Pratt of the San Jose’ Amateur Astronomers (SJAA), she also co-founded the SJAA – Bay Area Auction, now in its 16th year.
Among her many other activities, she has served as Secretary with EAS, FPOA, LAT – Group 70, and for several years for the WAA. She also, at times, has been newsletter editor for AANC, EAS, FPOA, and SJAA. In 1981 and 1982 she served as President of SJAA and LAT – Group 70 and was Vice President from 1983 to 1985, along with her long service with the Chabot Telescope Makers Workshop and the Chabot Observatory since 1967, where she assisted Dr. Helen Pillans with students from Mills College look through telescopes.
Denni has received several awards for her many years of service in the Bay area, being the second recipient of the SJAA’s “A.B. Gregory Award”, the EAS’s ” Helen Pillans Award”, and the 1999 AANC’s “Amateur Award”.
In addition to this she has also served as a judge at the Riverside Telescope Makers Conference, being one of the few women (or men – for that matter) honored with this privilege. Upon her receiving the “Helen Pillans Award” in 1998, her husband (Kevin) noted that his success was due in no small part to Denni’s support of his activities.
Sadly, to few women in science have received their rightful recognition for their own achievements. Indeed the “G. Bruce Blair Award” has only gone to three other women in it’s 45 year history.