Hugo E. Schwarz (1953-2006)

On Friday, October 20, my very good friend and advisor during my 10 months in Chile, Hugo Schwarz, was killed in a motorcycle accident. Hugo and his wife, Claudia, were my first two friends in Chile, and when I arrived they took me into their home and helped me find an apartment and get settled in La Serena. Hugo always went out of his way to see that I was enjoying life in Chile and adjusting to a new culture. He had me over to his house for the Chilean Independence Day celebration (el dieciocho), the most important holiday in Chile, introduced me to Pucón and the south of Chile, and had my dad and me over to his house on Christmas. Moreover, if it weren't for Hugo and the beautiful letter he wrote for me during my Fulbright application process, I probably would not have won the grant in the first place. Thank you for everything, Hugo.

Hugo had a passionate attitude for his research that was very contagious. He never seemed to stress out about his work because he truly loved what he did. Each new project was an exciting new opportunity to learn something more about the universe. Working for him was a great pleasure. Even when things did not work out as expected (as happened often) we would just put our heads together and try to work things out. When I got frustrated he would be there to compliment me on my work well done and to encourage me to keep at it. I can easily say that I did my best work under his guidence. And it was always easy to make it through a workday with Hugo there telling one of his stories or jokes (of which I am convinced he had an endless supply).

Hugo, we'll miss you buddy. Thank you for being such a great friend, and thank you for all the good times we had during our 10 months working together. You will not be forgotten.



If you would like to learn more about Hugo's life, visit http://www.subjectivelens.com/Hugo/