Herinneren is een vorm van ontmoeten…

Dear Wim,

I think we met the first time in 1985 on a European laser laboratory tour that my Ph. D. supervisor planned across Europe. I still remember your enthuastic person from our visit at the VU. Perhaps that was the reason why I later ended up (in 1987) doing part of my Ph.D. work in Wim Hogervorst’s laser laboratory. I have very fond memories of work, but also bridge and klaverjassen sessions with you and other team members after lunch. The bridge scoring used weighting factors (so typical physicists) to somehow offset the luck of getting high cards. I tried to introduce klaverjassen in Sweden later, the unfortunately I failed. In order to finalize my work in the lab, you let me stay in your apartment for one month, you taught me how to bi-cycle in Amsterdam the “proper” way and indeed you cooked a lot of wonderful Indonesian inspired dinners which I brought back to Sweden later. I guess I was one of the early persons who did “satay” in Sweden, thanks to you! I also met your wonderful (future) wife Pieternel for the first time in those days. She prepared dinner for me and her one evening. I liked it so much that I later tried to surprise my Jeanette with the same dish. I still remember Jeanette’s disbelief when she tasted it and said “Anders, there is sauerkraut in this dish – I do NOT like it”. Well, you can’t win them all! I remember a ski trip in the Swedish Alps, across the mountain from Åre to Duved, when you probably met my own Jeanette for the first time. The weather was so bad we couldn’t see more than ten meters ahead, but you soldiered on as if you had grown up in that type of weather. Our friends were very impressed with you although you must have wondered what we made you go into! Over the years we have met now and then, but since we moved to Malaysia, almost nineteen years ago, we haven’t seen each other face-to-face, “only” kept contact with the odd email. Jeanette and myself always said we want to go back to Amsterdam and catch up with both you and Pieternel. Sadly now, it will not happen that way, but we will for sure go back and meet up with Pieternel and your children. It was so sad to hear about your premature death and that we never got the time to meet again. So much to share about families, work, travel etc. Our thoughts goes to the family in these difficult times. Rest in peace Wim, you will always be remembered very fondly by me and my wife! / Anders Wännström

IN 1985 gaf je mij instructie hoe ik 283 nm licht moest maken in de bijna griezelige raamloze ruimtes vol lasers, spiegels en dye-vlekken bij de VU. Daarna hadden we een gemeenschappelijke carriere in de atoom en molecuulfysica, waardoor ik ook Pieternel tegenkwam bij de KNMI. Atomen, Moleculen, Lasers, Spectrometers en Klimaat liggen heel dicht bij elkaar. Alleen daarom al is het onderbreken van zo een lange draad door een verschrikkelijke ziekte en verschrikkelijke pech zo oneerlijk en onwerkelijk. Ik hoop dat jullie in de laatste maanden nog heel veel jaren samen hebben kunnen verpakken in intensiteit.
De herinnering blijft over het delen van natuurkunde en de lach die bij jou heel erg dichtbij was,
Wim (van der Zande)