Charles Eric Knapp, 1956-2009

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We inform you with great sadness that Eric Knapp lost his two-year long battle with lymphoma on October 29, 2009. Eric was hired by NRAO as one of the original Green Bank Telescope operators in 1998. As an amateur astronomer, Eric made contributions to several American Association of Variable Star Observers programs and also to supernova search collaborations. Eric was always eager to learn about the projects that were observing on the GBT while he was an operator. His passion for astronomy even led him to start a collaboration that successfully observed with the GBT (GBT05B-045, Searching for Pulsars in the Newly Discovered Globular Cluster GLIMPSE-CO1). Eric's enthusiasm, easy-going personality and dedication to his job always made observing with him as the GBT operator a fun experience. The numerous acknowledgements to Eric in journal articles are a testimony to how well he was respected by the astronomical community. The Greenbrier Valley Astronomical Association has established a memorial fund in Eric's honor that will be used for astronomy education. If you would like to send a personal message to the family, please contact Pete Chestnut.