About HLS
From: Philip (Bo) HammerSent: Saturday, August 02, 2008 8:50 PM
Subject: In Memory of Henry
Dear John and Sarah,
In response to your last email, we would like to contribute the attached letter (copied below) to the book for Carol. Please feel free to share it with all those gathered. We are very sad to have lost Henry and wish we could be there with you all today.
Love,
Bo, Donna, Eliot, Nick and Erin
Dear Carol and family,
We are very sorry that we cannot be with you and the family today to remember Henry and celebrate his life. As a family, we always admired Hen for his grace, humor, intelligence, and dedication to his work.
As you know, Hen was very dear to me. I cannot remember a time in my life when I did not look up to him as a role model for how I fashioned my own scientific career, particularly in my thinking about physics as something that could have meaningful impact on society well beyond its narrow scope of pure discovery. Hen always encouraged me at the exact right moments, and one of my most prized possessions is a CRC manual that he gave me when I was a student. It was such a collegial boost. Many physicists talk about physics as if getting a PhD is like boot camp. You go through something challenging and rigorous together over an extended period. At the end, we have a shared experience of pain and glory. Hen's small gift was a huge gesture, encouraging me to stick it out, but more importantly, welcoming me to the club.
I knew that Hen struggled for a long time, yet his mind was always active and working on the next great idea. He impressed me immensely, not only with his ideas, but with the optimism of man who, late in life, was still crafting great thoughts and plans to improve humanity. In Hen's case it was transportation, and he was a visionary in this area long before it was so newsy and fashionable.
My last mental picture of Henry is in Beach Haven, at our last family reunion. This picture is the most meaningful for me. Hen told me he wouldn't be around much longer, but he wanted to be with all of us in Jersey. That is why our Family of Henry and Josie gatherings are so very important. They keep us together and they can keep us going.
Donna, the kids, and I will remember Hen for all his wonderful qualities and are thankful that he was an important part of our lives.
Love,
Bo
