Eckart Lorenz guestbook

It is worth to remember that before moving to astrophysics Eckart was a pillar of several important particle physics experiments at CERN, DESY, Fermilab, Cornell… He was a man full of ideas on physics and he also knew how to turn them into real experiments – for me he was an example of an ideal experimental physicist, who works not only with his head, paper and pencil, or computer, but also with his hands, to make experiment real, to run it and to analyze the data….

I met Eckart in 1974, when joining CERN-Munich group, who was performing experiments at CERN PS; this group expanded later into a famous ACCMOR collaboration (Amsterdam-CERN-Cracow-Munich-Oxford-Rutherford), which did several outstanding experiments at CERN SPS. Eckart was one of solid pillars of those groups, an extraordinary expert on scintillating counters, Cerenkov detectors and fast electronics. When the run supposed to start, Eckart was asked to stay overnight and set-up the trigger apparatus - it was amazing to watch him doing so, as firstly he was disconnecting everything and then reconnecting again his way, and miraculously everything worked as needed!

He was a very kind man, always smiling, always ready to discuss and explain questions, in a simple, but sufficient in depth, manner – this didactic approach his colleagues used at many occasions; I was exploiting him as a referee of scientific journals, but also the others bothered him constantly, so often he could not finish quietly his lunch…

He was a very understandable to less experience younger colleagues, physicists and engineers, and in this respect Krakow group owned him a lot; many times he visited Krakow, participating in seminars, conferences and workshops, but also often he invited our people to work with him in Munich and elsewhere… Eckart, we will miss you very much…

Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe, the more often and steadily we reflect upon them: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me. I do not seek or conjecture either of them as if they were veiled obscurities or extravagances beyond the horizon of my vision; I see them before me and connect them immediately with the consciousness of my existence.”
― Immanuel Kant, Critique of Practical Reason

These words seem to portray Eckart so well. We will miss you, Eckart. We will miss your engaged and engaging presence, your innovative spirit, your incomparable knowledge and willingness to share and teach, your unique courage and enthusiasm to open new doors. And above all, Eckart, we will miss your friendship.

I have learned a lot from Eckart concerning physics and detectors, and, more, I have learned about the attitude of a scientist: enthusiasm, initiative, vision. I am greatly indebted to him.

I regret the lost of a dear friend and a enthusiast experimental physicist and teacher.

I will remember him being a mentor for many students, not only inside MPI but also outside.
Vielen Dank Eckart for your support. It meant a lot to me.
My condolences to his family.

Dear Eckart I could accompany you over 35 years of your experiments
and build. 20 years were responsible for the development, planning and construction of telescopes on La Palma with you an exciting Zeit.Du always stay in my good memory. Thank Peter

Eckart was a great support for the group at Madrid. He was behind our first steps in Astroparticle Physics and continued visiting us up to very recently. We are in debt with him.
Personally I will remember for all my life many conversations with him about all aspects of Physics and Science in general. We shared this love, one of the things that makes life worth living.

I want to thank Eckart for all he taught us. Not only in physics but also for life. He was fascinated by physics and would never let problems interfer with his goals. He established ground-based gamma-ray astronomy in Germany and was instrumental to make Germany the leading country in this field. This is not only true for HEGRA and MAGIC but also for HESS, which without his influence on MPIK to join HEGRA would not exist today. His scientific legacy is huge but the personal influence he had on so many of us was even bigger.
Thanks you Eckart for all you have taught us.

I experienced Eckart from the remote perspective, working for MAGIC during four years in Barcelona. Even though we only met on collaboration meetings, on the phone or by mail, his driving visionary attitude could never be missed and seemed to be something like the underlying philosophy of the whole project.

What made a lot of impression on me is that whenever we had different opinions, or argued (at times emotionally) for opposing perspectives, he didn't seem to bear any grudge or resentment out of it, but usually came back to the respectful, friendly smile I still find in the picture that is heading this guestbook.

It was more by chance than by merit that I happend to attend the ceremony at the Polish embassy few weeks back. I still remember Eckart, listening to his laudatio with an expression of genuine happiness on his face. A deserved satisfaction, I thought, after a career that was fueled by the will never to be satisfied with the technically possible. I also remember his own speech not praising himself, but reflecting about science, collaboration and peace in post-war Europe and how thankful he is, and we should be, to have this.

Eckart was a grand person, and I hope a role model for many.

A very sad news. We'll miss Eckart, his readiness to help and explain, his inspiration.