Daily Image
16-04-2021
In Memoriam: Tony Foley (1957 - 2021)
| Submitter: | Jan Noordam, Sharmila |
| Description: | This week our long-time colleague Tony Foley died in Wales, surrounded by his family. He had been suffering from cancer for some time. After a thorough education in Cambridge and Manchester, he worked from 1985 as a WSRT System Scientist, with special responsibility for VLBI. In 2009, he was lured away to South Africa, to take the lead in commissioning the new MeerKat radio telescope. Arnold van Ardenne: "Tony's early VLBI engagement in Westerbork was crucial in shifting from observing "experiments" towards regular high-quality scheduled observations. His kind and patient personality certainly engendered the spirit required for such instrumentally and socially complex observations". Albert Jan Boonstra: "I remember Tony as a friendly and warm colleague. During the Westerbork Upgrade in the 1990s, he was one of the people responsible for keeping the telescope operational while colleagues regularly hampered operations by replacing bits and pieces with new stuff. Tony always kept a positive spirit, and I particularly enjoyed the characteristic wide range of his voice when he expressed his views." Mark Bentum: "Ik herinner mij Tony ook als een zeer vriendelijke collega, met een groot verantwoordelijkheids gevoel voor de WSRT. Altijd in de weer om het beste uit het instrument te halen, of het nu voor pulsar waarnemingen was, of voor VLBI, of die keer dat we voor de NASA een poging deden om de Mars Polar Lander te detecteren. Een waar gemis". Zsolt Paragi: Here is a picture of Tony you may like, because it emphasizes the quality for which he is most fondly remembered. Needless to say that he is sorely missed, at multiple latitudes. Tony's funeral service may be viewed by clicking this link: https://youtu.be/3bahDulHj3o |
| Copyright: | SKA South Africa |
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