TRIBUTE TO STEPHEN HAWKINGS: A LIFE WELL SPENT

"My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is, and why it exists at all."

- Stephen Hawking

 

Time.com

British physicist who is widely regarded as one of the world’s most brilliant minds, he was known throughout the world for his contributions to science, his books, his television appearances, his lectures and through biographical films. He leaves three children and three grandchildren.

He was awarded the CBE in 1982, was made a Companion of Honor in 1989, and was awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. He was the recipient of numerous awards, medals and prizes, including the Copley Medal of the Royal Society, the Albert Einstein Award, the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, the Fundamental Physics Prize, and the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award for Basic Sciences. He was a Fellow of The Royal Society, a Member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and a Member of the US National Academy of Sciences.

www.hawkings.org.uk

He achieved all this despite a decades-long battle with motor neuron disease, with which he was diagnosed while a student, and eventually led to him being confined to a wheelchair and to communicating via his instantly recognizable computerized voice. His determination in battling with his condition made him a champion for those with a disability around the world.

TRIBUTE TO STEPHEN HAWKINGS: A MAN ON A MISSION

I am tremendously saddened to let you know that Professor Stephen Hawkings passed away at age 76. His family said he died at his home in Cambridge peacefully in the early hours of the morning.

He will be remembered for breaking  new ground on the basic laws which govern the universe, including the revelation that black holes have a temperature and produce radiation, now known as Hawking radiation. At the same time, he also sought to explain many of these complex scientific ideas to a wider audience through popular books, most notably his bestseller A Brief History of Time.

I would like to express my deepest condolences to Hawkings family.It is clear from the remembrances that we all will  feel the tremendous loss of such an esteemed thinker and mentor. The scientific community has lost a rare hero, a star and inspirational leader.

He  was one whom you couldn’t help but admire and respect. His courage, his strength will make you stand in awe. He was unmoved by the unkind hand that life had sometimes dealt him.He never blinked, he was a champion. He  lived life on his own terms, frequently defying the norms of the universe. Nevertheless, I seem to have gotten  strength and courage from his story and life lessons about never giving up on work, imperfections  and also not boast about my intelligence Quotient, according to him "People who boast about their I.Q. are losers."

He was trapped in his own body by motor neurone disease, but that did not stop Prof Stephen Hawking help us all get an understanding of the universe.

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      "I'm the archetype of a disabled genius, or should I say a physically challenged genius, to be politically correct. At least I'm obviously physically challenged. Whether I'm a genius is more open to doubt." 

Would I be wrong to say he died empty?

A life well spent.