M. Michelle Balcomb of Lake Montezuma, Ariz., died Friday, March 14, 2003. She was 75.

Mrs. Balcomb was born July 25, 1927, in Colorado Springs.

She had a Masters degree and a Ph.D. in freshwater ecology. She was a member of Phi Sigma, Sigma Xi, honor societies, and Phi Beta Kappa.

Before moving to Lake Montezuma, for 16 years she was executive director of the Southwest and Rocky Mountain Division of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a pre-eminent scientific body. Previously she taught biology at Colorado Mountain College in Glenwood Springs, Adams State College in Alamosa, and the University of Colorado in Boulder. She served several years on the Colorado Mountain Colleqe Board of Trustees.

She was very active in the Beaver Creek Niners, participating in the Lake Montezuma Garden Club, the Red Hat Mamas, the Civic Club, and the Foxy Fillies.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Paul and Gadys Michel; by daughters Ann and Linda; by son Dean; and by a sister, Georgia;

She is survived by her husband, Kenneth of Lake Montezuma; by a son, Scott Baker of Colorado Springs; by a daughter, Laurie Strong of Glenwood Springs; by a brother, Chuck Michel of Bakersfield, Calif.; by a sister, Jean Dalberq of Longmont; and by numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nephews, and nieces.

A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. March 31 at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Glenwood Springs. An informal reception will follow the service in the Parish Hall.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Colorado Mountain College Foundation – M. Michelle Balcomb Scholarship Fund. Send donations to CMC, P.O. Box 1763, Glenwood Springs, CO 81602.