c e n tu ry 's g re a te s t a s tro n o m e r e n d e do n 5 N o v e m b e r 1 9 9 2 , a Iife lo n g , r ic h , fu llo f a rd u o u s

h is firs t p a p e r,in1 9 2 2 , e n ti\ue000 tle d " S o m e p e c u lia r itie sinth e m o tio n o f s ta r s o f h ig h v e lo c itie s "t oth e la s t o n eI

H e a d q u a rte rsin G a re h in g . A s it w a s th e e a s e fo r th e w o r k s h o p h e ldinJ u n e 1 9 9 1 ,E S O s o lie its th e p a r tic ip a tio n o f th e g r o u p s in E u ro p e

c o m m o n ly s h a re d fe a tu re so fm a n k in d 's w o r ld v ie w . O f th e fo rm e r I re m e m b e r th e in flu e n c e I e x p e r ie n c e d

fo r b o th th e ro ta tio no fth e G a la x y a n d th e o rig in o f c o m e ts .H ew a s o fte n d e c a d e s a h e a d o f h is tim e , w a s fo r e x a m p le le c tu r in go n d a rk m a tte rin 1 9 2 6. . .

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a s tro n o m e rp a re x c e lle n c e , a b le a lw a y st o d is c e r n fe a tu r e sin m a p s a n dino th e r d a ta s e ts w h ic h th o s e w h o h a d

in te n s e ly w ith s u c ha nin o rd in a te n u m b e r a n d v a r\ue000 ie tyo fa s tro n o m e rs ,in

d is c o v e r ie s a n d h is im p a tie n c e w ith th e c o n s tr u c tio n o fn e w fa c ilitie s . T h e la s t tim e I s p o k e to h im

fo r th e S H A R P p ic tu re so fth e G a la c tic C e n tre (re fe rre d t o

d is h a t K o o tw ijk , v ia th e D w in g e lo o T e le s c o p et oth e s o p h is \ue000 tic a tio n

e n \ue000 g in e e rs a n d p h y s ic is ts s ta rte d a n d o p e r \ue000 a te d

b e fo re a n y o th e r, b e c a m e p r o b le m - ra th e r th a n te c h n iq u e -o rie n te d ,

re s o u rc e s th r o u g h o u t h is c a re e r. It w a s h is fa te , a n d th e w o rld c o m m u n ity 's g o o d fo rtu n e th a t h e w a s S e c re ta ry G e n e ra l o f th e In te rn a \ue000 tio n a l A s tr o n o m ic a l

th ro u g h th o s e a w fu l tim e s w ith p e r\ue000 s is te n c e , lo y a lty a n d th e c o n v ic tio n th a t a s tr o n o m y d e fie s id e o lo g y a n disa p re \ue000 c io u s h u m a n e n d e a v o u r . U n lik e E S O 's , I k n o w

O o rt's n a m e s ta n d s o u t b y its lo n g lis t o f p a g e re fe re n c e s . M o re th a n

O o rtin1 9 5 3 , it t o o k te n y e a rst o b rin g it t ofirs t fru itio n , m a rk e d b y th e s ig n a to ry c e re m o n y

it was th e te n a c ityo fO o rt, w h o u n tir in g ly u s e d h is

O v e r v ie w in g O o r t's s c ie n tific a c h ie v e \ue000 m e n ts a n d th e s iz eo fh is o e u v r e , o n eis aw ed

m an s h o u ld ta k e s e v e ra l m a jo r in itia tiv e s a n d th e n

s u c \ue000 c e s s fu l m a tu rityiss c a r c e ly im a g in a b le . T h e c o m b in a tio n s ta n d s o u t a s to w e r in g

p r o d u c tiv ity a n d u n s tin tin g d e v o tio n . T o th in k h o w e v e r th a t th is m u s t h a v e b e e n a

ra n g e . H is fa m ily life w as rich,a sm o v in g ly a tte s te d b y a s o n a n d a g ra n d d a u g h te r a t th e m e m o \ue000 ria l

w a rm ly a tte n tiv e h o s tst oin n u m e ra b le te a - a n d d in n e r

life , e s p e c ia lly th e la te s t th in g s a n d th e th in g s to c o m e . T h e

h a v e g iv e n to th e a u to b io g ra p h y h e d id n o t w rite .H ew a s fo re v e r c u rio u s a b o u t th e la te s t re s u lts fro m

te le s c o p e s , a n y te le s c o p e ,h eliv e din a n tic ip a tio no f d a ta to c o m e , h e h u n g e re d fo r p e rs p e c \ue000 tiv e s

L o r e n E is e le y 's "Im m e n s e J o u rn e y " a p a s s a g e s o q u in t\ue000 e s s e n tia lly fo c u s s in g h is life th a t I r e p e a t it h e re :

o u r O r\ue000 g a n iz a tio n , m y u n d e r s ta n d in go fits m is\ue000 s io n , w h ic h

h a s c o n s is te n tly g u id e d m y a c tio n s th e y e a rs I h a v e h e ld th is o ffic e a n d

c la s s o b s e r v in g fa c ilitie s fo r th e u s e rs fro m th e c o m m u n \ue000 ity . D e r iv a tiv e ta s k s a re

p lo it th e fa c ilitie s s o p r o v id e d to th e fu ll, re q u ire s a c o m m u n ity th a t is c o m p e te n t, a m b itio u s , in te r a c tiv e , c o lla b o r a tiv e a n d c o m p e titiv e .

c o m m u n ity c o n s titu e n ts , a c ro s s b o u n d a r ie so fn a tio n s , la n g u a g e s , tr a d i\ue000 tio n s

a s tro n o m y s e rv ic e o rg a n iz a tio n . T o fu r th e r d e v e lo p th e q u a lityo fth is m is s io n I h a v e in itia te d n u m e ro u s m e a s u re s w h ic h a re n o w

in te rn a l re s e a rc h p r e s e n ta tio n s a n d fre q u e n t c o llo q u ia b y v is ito r s .

s p e n d in g o n eo r tw o y e a rs a s s tu d e n ts / c o o p e ra n ts o r u pt oth re e a s fe llo w s o n th e m o u n ta in , a ll w ith s e rv ic e ta s k s a n d re s e a rc h

G ro u po fth e S c ie n c e D iv is io n . F o r th e m th e s e rv ic e ta s k s a re m o re m o d e s t a n d th e y

s e r v ic e o rg a n iz a tio n E S O 's in - h o u s e re s e a rc h is a

d ire c tly in te ra c t\ue000 in g w ith o th e r s ta ff a n d c a rry in g o u t p a rt o fth e s e rv ic e fu n c tio n s th e m s e lv e s , th e in - h o u s e

som e s e v e n ty -fiv e s c ie n tis ts w h od ore s e a rc h p a rt tim eo rfu ll tim e , in c lu d in g p a id v is \ue000 ito rs , a re e m p lo y e d b yE S O .F u lly h a lfo f a ll a s tr o n o m y p u b lic a tio n s b a s e d

c o n trib u tet oM ID A S u tilitie s b y p a id re \ue000 s id e n c e p e r io d sinG a r c h in g . M ID A S w ill be the VL1 'sd a ta h a n d lin g s y s te m

th e s tim u lu so fV LT s ta n d a rd iz a tio n a n d th e u b iq u ity

p ro file so fth e s e p ro \ue000 g ra m m e s ,ino r d e rt o a c q u a in t th ecom \ue000 m u n ity

p ro \ue000 g r a m m e s a n d s o m e tim e s le d to e n la rg e \ue000 m ento fth e

p re \ue000 p a ra to ry a c tiv itie s , w o r k fo rL aS illa c o n \ue000 tin u e d .

fu rth e r te c h n o lo g y d e v e lo p m e n tin E u ro \ue000 p e a n in d u s tr y , a ta s k s y s te m a tic a lly d e \ue000 v e lo p e d