This news hit me hard. Tim Hawarden, on the left, passed away today. He was my mentor when I arrived to work here in Hawai`i 13 years ago. I first met him in the early 90s on one of my first trips out here to use UKIRT and it was clear to me then what a brilliant mind he had.He was a special guy: incredibly intelligent, knowledgeable and fun to be with - I will never forget the snowball fight we had outside UKIRT a few winters ago!
Tim and I had a long chat just a couple of months ago while I was in the UK. He was semi-retired but still spent a lot of time at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh and still had an office - you don't get rid of people with the knowledge Tim had. I tried to extract as much information as I could in the belief he might go into full retirement but as usual with Tim there was no need to try. Tim was a real fountain of knowledge and I just sat there taking it all in.
I learned so much from him, as did all the scientists at the JAC, and now he's gone. It's hard to believe; he was the life of UKIRT.
6 comments:
Tom, I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend, Tim. I'm glad you have some wonderful memories on which you can look back and remember fondly. I'm sorry you're hurting.
Dear Tom, so sorry for your loss. He seemed like a wonderful man. I agree with Hilary's words.
Zuzana
So sorry, Tom.
My deepest sympathies, Tom.
Tom, I am so sorry to read of this loss to you and to Tim's family and friends as well as to all of UKIRT. Sending you my sympathy and a hug...xo
Thanks everyone for your very kind comments and thoughts. I'm still struggling to accept what has happened because Tim was a dear friend and loved by everyone, especially his family. Your thoughts help very much, so thank you.
I'm going to have to go through a bunch of stuff he left with me when he left Hawaii, including a lot of pictures. Although it'll make me sad I know I'll also be smiling when I look at them again!
Tom
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