The Director-General has just announced the sad passing of Herwig Schopper, Director-General of the Organisation from January 1981 to December 1988.
We, the retirees who knew and perhaps worked with Herwig Schopper, echo the tributes paid by the Organisation and the scientific community and express our sincere condolences to his family.
The full text of the Director-General’s message is below:
Dear colleagues,
It was with great sadness that we learned that Herwig Schopper passed away yesterday at the age of 101. He was Director-General of CERN from January 1981 to December 1988.
Herwig Schopper played a central role in shaping CERN into the prestigious laboratory that it is today. Involved in CERN’s research since the 1960s, he held several key decision-making roles from the 1970s onwards, including Chair of the ISR Committee from 1973 to 1976 and member of the Scientific Policy Committee from 1978 to 1980.
During his term as Director-General, his scientific vision and diplomatic skills played an essential role in securing the approval of the Large Electron–Positron Collider (LEP) project, and then in successfully leading the construction of this accelerator, the largest ever built. He contributed to CERN’s global expansion and was one of the architects of the international cooperation model for the LEP experiments, which paved the way for today’s large experimental collaborations. His mandate was also marked by the discovery of the W and Z bosons by the UA1 and UA2 experiments at the SPS proton-antiproton collider in 1983, which was recognised by the Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to Carlo Rubbia and Simon van der Meer the following year.
In the years that followed, Herwig Schopper took on major responsibilities, serving on the scientific councils of several laboratories and presiding over the German Physical Society and later the European Physical Society. One of his greatest achievements was SESAME, the international centre for Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East, of which he was a co-founder and the first President of the Council.
We have lost a brilliant scientist and one of the greatest contributors to CERN and to our field, who really embodied the core values of our Laboratory. We have also lost a cherished friend who was admired for his insight, his dedication and his warmth. CERN was at the heart of his life and, until his very last moments, he cared deeply about the Laboratory.
On a more personal note, Herwig was a true source of inspiration for me. Throughout my two mandates as CERN Director-General, he provided me with his strong, unwavering support, sharing his wisdom, advice, vision and extensive experience, for which I will always be deeply grateful.
He will forever remain in our memories.
Obituaries will be published in the CERN Bulletin and the CERN Courier shortly.
Kind regards,
Fabiola Gianotti
The funeral will take place at 2.00 p.m. on Wednesday, 27 August, in Hamburg, Germany:
Friedhofskapelle – Rupertistraße 37 – 22609 Nienstedten, Hamburg