Nobel physicist George Charpak died on the 29th. From Teh Wiki:
In 1992, he received the Nobel Prize in Physics "for his invention and development of particle detectors, in particular the multiwire proportional chamber". This is the last time a single person has won the physics prize.
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I'm sorry to hear that. Among many other achievements, Dr. Charpak collaborated with Richard Garwin on MEGAWATTS AND MEGATONS: A Turning Point in the Nuclear Age? — one of the better books on atomic energy and its uses.
Are we sure George (not Georges?) Charpak wasn't really the alter-ego of Tony Curtis?
Were they ever seen together?
I would like to repost part of my original in which I point out that Charpak was also a great educator. The U.S. could use his example.
"Not only was he a first rate scientist, he was often on television and in the press explaining science. He was a very eloquent speaker for science.
He also started a primary school program "mains à la pâte"(literally, "hands in the dough"), to teach young students about the wonders of science. Apparently a third of French school children have participated in his program.
Hats off."
I live in France and often saw him on television and read is articles in the popular press.
The late Dr. George Charpak ("Ch" should be correctly pronounced as the Spanish "J" in Juan), a direct relative of our family in Israel, was originally Jewish though preferred defining himself as "universal" or Cosmopolitan".
Despite his outstanding achievements in Science, he was essentially a very modest person: when I met him at my aunt's as a young student of mathematics in the early 70's and asked about his work in CERN, he answered it was mainly technical and not really interesting... Actually, he tried to explain to me that it was more engineering that theoretical physics.
I believe that his mother (whom, as a child, I used to nickname "Bright Lady") was inclined then towards communist ideaology, and Charpak himself tried not to identify with jewish or Zionist causes to the extent that some of the list makers did not even mention him anong the Jewish Nobel Prize winners!
However, after receiving the Nobel in Physics for his ingenious experiments' design, which mafe him a public figure and close associate of the French president, Dr. Charpak made a personal visit to Israel where my aunt held a family banquet for his honor, which I regretfully missed.
I was truly sorry to hear about the departure of this gifted physicist, and modest human being. Let his soul rest in peace!
Zvi Morik
Tel Aviv
5th Nov. 2010.
Zvik thanks for the personal insights!