Submitted by Gudrun Heinrich on Wed, 2011-12-14 10:47.
Thank you so much for all your messages! Now that I am finally able to read this page,
I am overwhelmed by all your expressions of support and understanding.
And beyond this page, I am really grateful to everybody who helped me to carry on, each in his/her own way, in physics and in life. It really made a difference.
Submitted by Judith Wennekers on Tue, 2010-02-02 11:01.
Liebe Gudrun,
als ich von Thomas erfahren habe brach meine angebrochene Welt vollends zusammen. Ich kann nicht verstehen, wer uns und der Welt so etwas antut und uns die besten Menschen einfach wegnimmt. Es ergibt im Moment noch keinen Sinn, aber ich werde weiter nach einem Sinn suchen, denn anderenfalls kann ich nicht weiter machen. Ich fühle aus tiefstem Herzen mit dir und weiss daher, dass ich dir jetzt nicht helfen kann. Aber ich bin für dich da, falls du das mächtest.
Eines habe ich gelernt in dieser beschissenen Zeit: häre nur auf dich selber. Lass dir bitte von niemandem sagen, was du tun darfst und sollst und was nicht. Niemand darf irgendwas von dir erwarten. Wenn du nicht willst, dann musst mit niemandem reden, musst keine Hilfe annehmen. Treffe Entscheidungen mit deinem Herzen, denn dort ist auch Thomas. Alles, was du dann tust, ist richtig.
Mein tiefstes Mitgefühl ist bei dir, wenn du magst.
Judith
Submitted by Dominik Stoeckinger on Wed, 2010-01-20 12:58.
We are so sad and shocked about this terrible and tragic loss! Thomas was a great person - as a scientist and physicist and in private. He was always looking for deep understanding, he was very honest with himself and with others, he had a critical mind and high expectations and at the same time he was always encouraging, supportive and caring. He was a role model as a true scientist, and he combined this with his warm, friendly personality. It was an honor to have known him.
Our deepest condolences to Gudrun and Thomas' family. Gudrun, we wish you all the best in this difficult time!
Dominik + Hyejung
Submitted by Rachid Mazini on Wed, 2010-01-20 12:20.
Dear Gudrun,
I was full of sadness when I have learned this tragic loss. All my condolences and thoughts to you and Thomas family. May he rest in peace.
Submitted by Louis Fayard on Sat, 2010-01-16 17:12.
This is a great loss for phenomenology and physics at LHC . I will always remember nice discussions with Thomas at Les Houches
Sincere condolences to Thomas family
Louis
Submitted by Monjula Datta on Fri, 2010-01-15 05:17.
My heartfelt condolence to Gudrun. Always remeber the wonderful days we spent together at Cheisier.It's very rare to come across a person like Thomas.. With all my love to Gudrun..
Submitted by Duncan & Elaine Stewart on Thu, 2010-01-14 22:26.
Thomas's untimely death. We first got to know Thomas when he stayed with us at our Guest House before his appointment to The University Of Edinburgh .He was one of lifes true gentlemen a great guy with a sense of humour to match, we still can't believe he's gone,it's just so tragic! My last memory of Thomas was only a few weeks ago when I bumped into him at Sainsbury's Supermarket. He was rummaging around the beer section looking for some beers to entertain some friends when there was an almighty crash, Thomas appeared quite sheepishly shrugging his s shoulders as if to say 'I don't know what happened there'typical of his demeanour.We will sadly miss his frequent visits to us and our hearts go out to everyone who was fortunate enough to know him he will be greatly missed by all
Duncan & Elaine Stewart
Glendale House
Edinburgh
Submitted by Georg Weiglein on Thu, 2010-01-14 17:18.
Wir sind fassungslos ueber Thomas' Tod.
Wir werden ihn sehr vermissen, als Physiker, Kollegen und Freund.
Thomas war ein aussergewoehnlicher Mensch. Wir sind priveligiert, ihn
gekannt zu haben.
Gudi und Georg
Submitted by Grigorios Chachamis on Thu, 2010-01-14 16:22.
I still cannot believe that Thomas has gone.
We will all miss him, miss the great person and physicist.
Gudrun, my thoughts are with you, my deepest condolences to you and to his family.
hi Thomas,
i feel extremely sad that you won't be around next time i
visit. just want you to know that you were such a fun guy
to talk to and a good person to learn about physics from.
so it goes.....
and you will be remembered.
david
Submitted by Boris Kastening on Wed, 2010-01-13 18:56.
While Tom was working on his Ph.D. in Freiburg, I had the invaluable pleasure to share office with him. His upbeat character and his great sense of humor made my day whenever he was around. I am very sad.
Gudrun, I wish you a full recovery and hope that soon the smile may return to your face!
Submitted by Ruth Britto on Wed, 2010-01-13 16:27.
Thomas, it is such a shock to have lost you. I still hoped to visit you in Edinburgh and to know you for many years to come. I was always glad to see you at workshops and am grateful for our conversations. You had a fantastic gift for kind expression of firm convictions.
Gudrun, I cannot begin to imagine how you are. My condolences in your sorrow and heartfelt wishes for your recovery. Please know that you are similarly dear. I hope to meet you again in due course.
Submitted by Ben O'Leary on Wed, 2010-01-13 13:33.
Like everyone who has ever met Thomas, I will miss his insight, not just for physics but for every aspect of life, his inspiring drive, and his wit.
Requiescat in pace.
Submitted by Doreen Hamilton on Wed, 2010-01-13 12:47.
Dear Thomas
It was a privilege to have known you, and I am still finding it hard to come to terms with the fact that you have gone. Today being Thomas' funeral - Gudrun my thoughts are with you and the family and hope that you will find the strength to live the life that Thomas would have loved.
Doreen Hamilton
Submitted by Brigitte Wehner on Wed, 2010-01-13 11:42.
Depuis que j’ai appris la mort de Thomas, j’envie ceux qui croient en Dieu et qui trouvent un réconfort dans leur croyance… Je suis profondément malheureuse de n’avoir plus que des souvenirs. Mais ce sont de bons souvenirs. Les quelques années qu’il a passées parmi nous à Würzburg ont passé trop vite, c’était l’un des physiciens les plus sympas que j’aie rencontrés ! Thomas était gai et chaleureux ; il possédait l’intelligence du cœur, plus rare que l’intellectuelle. Sa curiosité n’était pas seulement scientifique, il s’intéressait aux autres et à une infinité de choses. Les discussions avec lui étaient passionnantes, souvent très amusantes et je n’arrive pas à imaginer que ses yeux pétillants et malicieux se soient fermés définitivement dans ses chères montagnes. Il avait une vision de la vie tellement positive qu’on peine d’autant plus à accepter qu’elle lui ait été ôtée. Sa famille et Gudrun connaissent la valeur de celui qu’ils viennent de perdre depuis beaucoup plus longtemps que moi et je leur souhaite beaucoup de force et de soutien dans les heures douloureuses présentes et à venir, sans Thomas.
Submitted by Leanne O'Donnell on Wed, 2010-01-13 09:56.
The news that Thomas has gone is taking a long time to sink in. Thomas was a lovely kind man, who was always eager to help out whenever he could. He will be missed by all who knew him. Thinking of Gudrun at this time and hope you recover soon.
Dass Thomas nicht mehr unter uns ist, lässt unsere Volleyballgruppe traurig und fassungslos zurück.
Wir verdanken ihm viel, nicht nur als Spielertrainer, sondern vor allem als guter Freund und menschlicher Gesprächspartner bei vielen Gelegenheiten.
Unser Mitgefühl gilt dir, liebe Gudrun, und seiner Familie.
Submitted by Werner Platzer on Wed, 2010-01-13 08:44.
Ich war zutiefst bestürzt, von Thomas Tod aus der Freiburger Zeitung zu erfahren und habe noch gehofft, dass es einen anderen Thomas Binoth betreffen würde...
Ich habe Thomas als Volleyballer, Physiker und Freund hier in Freiburg schätzen gelernt, vor allem aber als Mensch bei Wanderungen in den Bergen. Thomas, ich werde Dich vermissen.
Gudrun, Dir und der mir sonst nicht persönlich bekannten Familie gilt mein Mitgefühl.
Werner
Submitted by Durham Mountain Sports on Tue, 2010-01-12 23:18.
It is so sad to hear the news about Thomas.
Gudrun, please know that your friends in DMS are thinking of you and are here for you. Sorry that we did not get the time to know Thomas better.
Submitted by Daria Sokhan on Tue, 2010-01-12 22:53.
I will always remember the conversation I had with Thomas when I first met him and he talked so much and with such warmth about his trips to the mountains and of Gudrun. He struck me as someone who lived life to the full and it was so obvious that both were so incredibly close to his heart...
My deepest condolences and kindest wishes to Gudrun and to Thomas' family.
I spent some time talking to Thomas at SUSSP65 in St Andrews. He was a lovely man and I was very distressed to hear this terrible news. My sincere condolences to all those who were close to him.
Submitted by David Miller on Tue, 2010-01-12 13:12.
I have been so shocked an saddened by Thomas's death that I find myself lacking words to describe how I feel. Thomas was a wonderful human being and a brilliant physicist. He always had time to talk, whether about physics or just about life. He will be sorely missed.
I send my deepest condolences to Gudrun and Thomas's family.
Submitted by Reinhold Rueckl on Tue, 2010-01-12 12:35.
Thomas was, in every respect, a very valuable member of our research group at Wuerzburg and a good colleague and friend. I am deeply saddened to hear about this tragic accident. My thoughts in this sorrowful time are with Gudrun and his family.
From HEPTOOLS for Thomas Binoth
We will not talk here about the loss for physics, obvious to all who work in this field.
Let us just say that interacting with Thomas, at the professional and even more at the personal level was a great experience.
His humanity combined with his deep humor made conversations with him very special.
We will remember the good times we spent with him.
The Heptools friends
Submitted by Siannah Penaranda on Tue, 2010-01-12 10:57.
We have been shocked by the news. We will miss Thomas very much. Our condolences for Gudrun and the family. Our thoughts and hearts are with you.
Siannah and Jaume
Submitted by Robert Harlander on Mon, 2010-01-11 22:10.
This came as a terrible shock and is still hard to grasp. I will miss Thomas as a warm-hearted, honest and outright person. His physics will keep him in our minds. His character will keep him in our hearts.
Liebe Gudrun, ich wuensche Dir viel Kraft. Meine Gedanken sind bei Dir.
Submitted by David Marsh on Mon, 2010-01-11 20:16.
This news is so shocking. My sincere condolences go out to Gudrun and the family.
Thomas was a fantastic teacher and enthusiastic physicist. He taught me two courses last academic year: Hamiltonian Dynamics and The Standard Model. These were two of the best courses I have ever attended, and I do not say this lightly. Their structure and content were fascinating and Thomas presented the complex ideas clearly and added his own incomparable enthusiasm to every lecture. I will remember him at the blackboard always and I am sure these lectures will always be a gold standard for me.
It is these lectures and Thomas's dedicated tutorials that gave me some of best motivation for a career in physics. I would not be the same physicist I am without having been taught by Thomas to marvel at both classical and quantum physics and all their beautiful structures in group theory. Future Edinburgh students will be poorer for not having Thomas to teach them.
Submitted by Gavin Cullen on Mon, 2010-01-11 19:43.
When it came to physics Thomas had a profound impact on me and, I think, most of the people he met. His enthusiasm and natural curiosity made him a great physicist. As a supervisor he consistently exceeded my expectations. I was very lucky to work with him and I am very grateful for his time, patience and encouraging words.
I will greatly miss listening to him tell a story over a pint or while sharing his whisky.
We have lost, as Thomas would have said, one of the "good guys".
My thoughts are with his family.
Submitted by Konstantin Chetyrkin on Mon, 2010-01-11 18:52.
I have just returned from a skiing holiday in Switzerland and now this terrible news. I met Thomas last tome only a few month ago at the Radcor conference and remember vividly nice discussions to him.
Thomas was a both a great person and researcher. His death is a big
loss for all the community. May he rest in peace! And let the earth will be as soft as the fuzz for him! (a rough translation from a Russian saying).
My deepest condolences to Gudrun and his family.
Submitted by Doreen Wackeroth on Mon, 2010-01-11 18:31.
It was such a shock to receive these horrible news and it is still
difficult to wrap my mind around. I feel privileged to have met
Thomas at a number of conferences and to have benefited from his
enormous expertise. Thomas was a wonderful colleague and he will be
very much missed. My heart goes out to Gudrun and to Thomas'
family. Gudrun, I send you my very best wishes for a full recovery. My
thoughts are with you.
Submitted by Linda Grieve on Mon, 2010-01-11 17:58.
The news about Thomas' death is so very hard to accept and is taking some time to sink in. Thomas was such a lovely man to work with and to talk to at work. He always encouraged me to practice my German on him, my last conversation with him was in German when we were talking about plans for the Christmas holidays. I'm going to miss you Thomas.
Linda
Submitted by Tord Riemann on Mon, 2010-01-11 17:53.
Voll Freunden war mir die Welt,
Als noch mein Leben licht war;
Nun, da der Nebel fällt,
Ist keiner mehr sichtbar.
Wahrlich, keiner ist weise,
Der nicht das Dunkel kennt,
Das unentrinnbar und leise
Von allen ihn trennt.
[H. Hesse]
We lost a collegue and friend
Theory Group DESY Zeuthen
Submitted by Benjamin Fuks on Mon, 2010-01-11 17:52.
I have only met Thomas a couple of times when he was visiting us at Freiburg, when I was postdoc there. He was always smiling, holding exciting discussions about his two passions, physics and mountains. His loss is definitely a tragedy for the whole community.
My sincere condolences to Gudrun and Thomas' family.
Submitted by Patrick Motylinski on Mon, 2010-01-11 17:19.
I feel privileged having met Thomas on several occasions. Being in his vicinity I always had the impression that he was a very fair man who treated all people with the same respect and that his presence brought with it a pleasant, informal and relaxed atmosphere. In other words one felt good in his company at all times.
We have not only lost a very gifted physicist but also a very valuable person on so many levels. He will be missed.
Submitted by David Lopez-Val on Mon, 2010-01-11 14:27.
I just read the arXiv today, later than usual,
and I just couldn't believe. When I first met Thomas,
he was sitting next to me on a bus trip to the
conference dinner in RADCOR 2007. There were many
seats available, but Thomas chose to sit next to a
young, anonymous PhD student whom he didn't know at all; he chose
to ask him with interest about his life, his
research, his homeland. He chose to
tell him "don't be nervous at all for your talk,
everything will be fine, I wish you all the best
in your career".
He chose, as always, to share his kindness and
his humanity. I just met him a few times more,
but this was more than enough to notice how gentle,
how nice he was. Enough to tell you, Gudrun, that
at the moment I am crying with you.
Submitted by Ruofan Liao on Mon, 2010-01-11 14:21.
I am very saddened and shocked to hear this tragic news. Thomas was my lecturer and Director of Studies during my time at Edinburgh. Although I did not know Thomas very well, he was always warm, friendly and patient with me. I will always remember him as a great teacher.
My deepest condolences to the family and friends of Thomas.
Submitted by Tobias Huber on Mon, 2010-01-11 12:19.
With Thomas we truly lost the most honest and open person in the particle physics community. Let us keep his friendly and straightforward character as an ideal that each of us should pursue. We will truly miss you. Ruhe in Frieden!
Gudrun, I wish you all the best to cope with all this. My thoughts are with you!
Submitted by Juergen Reuter on Mon, 2010-01-11 11:58.
Still I cannot believe that Thomas is no longer among us. Of course, he was a dear colleague and I really honour him as a great physicist, but what will forever remain in my mind is him as a person and friend. He always gave me courage with his humour, his friendliness and humanity.
I cannot find the right words: Thomas, we will utterly miss you!
My thoughts are with you, Gudrun, and your great loss! All the courage for you!
Submitted by Juergen Reuter on Mon, 2010-01-11 11:57.
Still I cannot believe that Thomas is no longer among us. Of course, he was a dear colleague and I really honour him as a great physicist, but what will forever remain in my mind is him as a person and friend. He always gave me courage with his humour, his friendliness and humanity.
I cannot find the right words: Thomas, we will utterly miss you!
My thoughts are with you, Gudrun, and your great loss! All the courage for you!
Submitted by maria ubiali on Mon, 2010-01-11 11:45.
In this moment of pain, we cannot cancel from our memory a song that we heard once on the top of a beautiful mountain in the Alps. There was a group of people crying and singing the song called signore delle cime for a friend of them who died in his beloved mountains. Our hearth cries with them for the death of Thomas.
We will never forget such a great man, physicist, teacher and human being. His passion for physics and for life, his love for the little things, for beauty and for nature are impressed forever in everyone who met him. He has been and will always be a Teacher, with capital T, one to look at when the routine makes us forget the deep passion who moved us to study physics, one to follow in his alive humanity. Certain that the negativity and then nothingness are not the last words on his and our lives, we keep Thomas always in our heart.
Our deepest condolences and thoughts go to Gudrun a to his family.
Maria and Giacomo
Submitted by Alberto Guffanti on Mon, 2010-01-11 11:33.
I remained speechless when I heard the tragic news about Thomas and still am struggling to deal with it.
Thomas was a great person to work with, a patient teacher, a passionate physicist. But first and foremost, he was a wonderful sincere friend.
I still have his email from January 2005 asking if I wanted to join him in Edinburgh as a postdoc. Lots of the beautiful memories that followed, I owe them to him. After I left Edinburgh and moved to Freiburg he never missed an opportunity to visit me in the University where he studied and the city he loved.
Nothing could have kept him away from the mountains he loved.
My thoughts are now with Thomas' family and with Gudrun. I wish them to find the strength to cope with this tragic moments, always remembering what a wonderful person Thomas was.
Submitted by Ansgar Denner on Mon, 2010-01-11 10:29.
Dear Thomas,
I am deeply shocked about the tragic incident.
I will always remember you as a very nice person and a friend.
As a scientist, I particularly appreciated your enthusiasm,
your openness and your fairness.
My feelings are with Gudrun and the family.
Ansgar
Submitted by rohini godbole on Mon, 2010-01-11 10:27.
Dear Thomas
It was a great shock to hear the news of avalanche which you took you away from this world. Words fail me..I have always cherished our meetings
(which mostly happened in Annecy and Les Houches). These times spent over schnapps and coffee, sharing physics and fun are now all the more precious.
In India we talk of a person who departs from this world as having become dear to the gods. Your warm hearted and humane nature, along with the highly
refined and intellectual mind, seems to have made you dear to the lord much before your time had come! We will all miss your laughter and your keen commitment to physics. My thoughts are with Gudrun and your family..
rohini
Gudrun what can I say? Words fail..
till we meet next time..Bon Courage
Submitted by Stefan Dittmaier on Mon, 2010-01-11 09:51.
In my memory I keep Thomas as an excellent scientist characterized by courage, reliability, and a true scientific spirit - and as a friend.
Thomas, without you our community is not the same anymore.
My deepest condolence to Gudrun and Thomas' family.
Submitted by Dominique Turc on Mon, 2010-01-11 09:43.
Thomas,
It was always a great pleasure to welcome you and Gudrun in Annecy. You were a so nice person. We were all shocked to learn about this tragedy.
We will miss you.
Deepest thoughts to Gudrun.
Dominique, Véronique, Virginie.
(We met Thomas and Gudrun within the European effort to structure the scientific European community in the area of physics at colliders, to which they significantly contributed.)
We live in others as long as they remember us. We will not forget you.
All of us feel sorry for this tragedy, and desire a complete recovery of Gudrun and their families.
Submitted by Anna Kulesza on Sun, 2010-01-10 22:07.
My last memory of Thomas is the one when saying goodbye after Radcor a few months ago: beaming smile and showing thumbs up. Knowing now it was a farewell, it is the picture of him, of his kindness and friendliness, which will forever stay with me. For all the discussions, chats, advice and giving an example how physics can be done and enjoyed, thank you Thomas.
Gudrun, my thoughts are with you, wish you much strength for these difficult times.
Submitted by Dagmar Huber on Sun, 2010-01-10 15:47.
I was really shocked and very sad when I heard about the death of Thomas.
After a few days it still doesn’t seem real.
I knew him as my brother’s friend for so many years. Somehow I feel like we grew up together and that he belonged to our family.
We met ocasionally during the last 20 years. It was always at my brother’s place in Freiburg: at a birthday party, or when Tom and Gudrun were passing through on their way to Switzerland, where they would hike or climb in the mountains. I always enjoyed those encounters, however brief they sometimes were. Speaking to my brother on the phone, I would usually ask how Tom and Gudrun were and what they were up to.
I can hear his deep and warm voice and how he would laugh about a joke. He was such a warm and nice person and he was interested in so many things. I am sure he was a great scientist.
Tom was always interested in other people, their opinions and their thoughts. He was one of the most love-worthy people I ever met.
I will really miss him and he will always have a place in my heart.
My heart and thoughts are with Gudrun, Thomas’s family and all of his friends.
Dagmar
Schlußstück
Der Tod ist groß. Wir sind die Seinen. Lachenden Munds. Wenn wir uns mitten im Leben meinen, wagt er zu weinen, mitten in uns
Rainer Maria Rilke
Submitted by Andreas Nyffeler on Sun, 2010-01-10 14:35.
I am very saddened to hear about the death of Thomas. It is difficult to grasp the fact that he is no more among us. Over the last decade, I have met him at several research institutes and conferences and he was always very kind to me and genuinely interested in my work. We had some lively discussions about various physics issues (and a beer or whiskey afterwards) and I really admired his honesty and his passion and desire to get to the truth. Thomas, you will be missed very much by all of us.
Dear Gudrun, I wish you all the best in this difficult time and send my sincere condolences to you and the family of Thomas.
Submitted by Thomas Gregoire on Sun, 2010-01-10 04:31.
This tragic news came as a big shock, it is still hard to believe that it is true. Thomas was such a great person, always cheerful and full of life. He greatly contributed to make my stay in Edinburgh a pleasant one, and I will always remember the lunch, coffee and barbecue with Thomas.
My sincere condolences to Gundrun and Thomas' family, I wish you strength to deal with this grief.
Submitted by Grégory Sanguinetti on Sat, 2010-01-09 16:59.
Thomas, you were a great physicist and a great supervisor.
Above all, you were a great man and a kind friend to me.
I will miss you a lot. You will always be in my mind.
All my condolences to his family.
I wish a fast recovery for Gudrun.
Submitted by Markus Goddemeier and Claudia Weinmann on Sat, 2010-01-09 16:07.
We are deeply shocked and saddened by Thomas' death. We met Thomas every now and then and enjoyed so much talking, discussing and laughing about everything under the sun. We will remember Thomas' fine sense of humour, his humaneness, deep knowledge, dedication, kindness.
Thomas' death is an irrecoverable loss to all friends, colleagues and people who had the privilege to meet him.
Our thoughts are with Gudrun and Thomas' family.
Claudia and Markus
Submitted by Carlos Pena on Sat, 2010-01-09 11:27.
I met Thomas a handful of times along the years. I remember one delightful dinner at a curry house in Edinburgh, and the nice hospitality I received during that visit. His friendliness, wit, and uncompromising conversation were not something that could pass unobserved. I would have liked to get to know him better, and I have been greatly saddened by the news of his untimely death.
My thoughts are with Gudrun, and with his many friends in Edinburgh and elsewhere.
Submitted by Sabine Kraml on Sat, 2010-01-09 01:18.
I still cannot grasp that Thomas is no more. I learnt the terrible news while being on a skitour myself, still hoping to meet Thomas and Gudrun the following day. The shock about this brutal tragedy is deep. Thomas, I will remember you forever as a warmhearted, honest and straightforward person, and a wonderful friend. There would be so much more to say, but the rest is silence...
My heart and my thoughts are with Gudrun: wish you recover soon.
Submitted by Justus Ammann on Fri, 2010-01-08 21:19.
Tom was a schoolmate to me and a great friend. We spent many hours together with "Skat", discussions about all the world and his brother and we enjoyed life with the light-hearted friendship of young days. I think, Tom had attempted his first climbing spot in the "Gfäll" area, Freiburg with Gudrun, Silvi and me . Yes, we had the same enthusiasm for nature and the sports in the mountains, an we've had great times many years ago. So I will miss him, and I'll keep Tom in best memory. My thoughts and prayers are with Gudrun.
Submitted by Oleg Veretin & Mikhail Kalmykov on Fri, 2010-01-08 18:52.
We regret about Thomas' death - he was a very nice person in
communications and very friendly in scientific discussions.
The modern science definitely lost one of the brilliant researcher.
God, We'll miss him.....
Submitted by Pavel Nadolsky on Fri, 2010-01-08 18:42.
As much as I wish I knew Thomas better personally, I was always impressed by his outstanding work. His papers left me with an impression of being both original and highly relevant. His studies of multi-loop QCD and crucial collider process will continue to impact particle physics for a long time.
Submitted by Laura Reina on Fri, 2010-01-08 17:53.
Thomas's loss is deeply sadenning. I will always remember him
as one of the strongest, warmest, and nicest people in our field.
My heart and thoughts are with Gudrun.
Submitted by Matthias Huber on Fri, 2010-01-08 17:48.
I met Thomas 34 years ago. From this time we became very close friends through all these years.
I saw him last time on the 2nd of January, we almost went for a skiing tour together this week...
We shared so many deep and beautiful, small and funny moments.
Through all these years he was driven by his loving curiosity for all unanswered questions, for culture and cultures, for his physics and for the humans around him. He always wanted to understand everything and he always wanted to share it.
There are so many wonderful messages in this condolence book that described him so very well in warm, empathic, poetic words. He was a shining light of clearness that everybody could feel when they came in contact with him. All children loved him !
Thomas was a man without failure and Gudrun completed him. He died by rescuing a friend. That’s how he was. The world without him will be incomplete and remains mysterious.
Thomas was that honest and honorable scientist we all should be, but only very few are able to be.
We should honour him by going on searching for the answers to the important questions.
In one of our long whisky-flavoured nights three months ago he told me that he lives exactly the life he always wanted, but should spend more time with friends - and especially Gudrun. But somehow time dilatates and the local universe expands when he was with us.
Our heart goes with Gudrun and I know that his heart goes with us all...
Submitted by Franz Muheim on Fri, 2010-01-08 17:17.
Words cannot describe the shock when we learned of the tragic death of Thomas. This is such a great loss of talent and we are all in mourning of a great person, an excellent physicist and a very good friend to many of us. Thomas' compassion about physics and mountains has always been infectious. We are very sad that he won't be around to share our journey into understanding LHC data.
Thomas, I will miss you greatly.
My sincerest condolences to Gudrun and Thomas family.
I hope that you may find the strength to recover from this tragedy.
Submitted by George Burton on Fri, 2010-01-08 17:14.
Thomas was my supervisor and friend.
He delighted in seeing others succeed and was always keen to help. His words to me just before Christmas were, as ever, invaluable, encouraging and kind.
Many thanks Thomas for all the physics, parties, whiskeys and fun! You will be greatly missed.
My best wishes to you Gudrun, recover soon.
Submitted by Michael Spira on Fri, 2010-01-08 15:25.
There are no words to express all our feelings about this big shock. I am really depressed about Thomas' death. I know him from his PhD time under the supervision of Jochum. At that time we worked on the same process with different methods and in different directions of the perturbative expansion. However, we never had any problem to discuss and exchange our insights.
Thomas was always a very special character. In case of agreement or disagreement he always kept on smiling and continued discussing in a very constructive and warm style. In some occasions this nearly made me forget that there were different opinions about small details during the same discussion. His warmhearted personality makes us feel this undescribable pain about his sudden death. He was a real friend!
My deepest condolences to Gudrun and the rest of Thomas' family. My best wishes to Gudrun to recover soon.
Submitted by Nadia Fouque on Fri, 2010-01-08 14:44.
It is with a lot of sadness that I learnt Thomas's death.
I shall keep the memory of a loving very nice person of the mountain.
All my thoughts go towards Gudrun and Thomas's family
Submitted by Leif Lönnblad on Fri, 2010-01-08 13:13.
We were all very saddened here in the Lund group by the terrible news. Our thoughts are with Gudrun with our sincerest condolences and wishes for a complete recovery.
Gösta, Hans, Leif, Torbjörn
Submitted by Thomas Reiter on Fri, 2010-01-08 13:05.
With Thomas I lost not only my former PhD supervisor and a great colleague but also a very good friend. His enthusiasm brought me to particle physics and kept me going more than once. He was a great scientist and it was always a pleasure to work with him. I enjoyed his open and direct way and the many stimulating discussions we had, not to forget the many occasions outside university when he entertained us as a host giving barbecues and whisky tastings. I will miss him a lot.
My thoughts are with Gudrun, his family and his friends.
Submitted by Roberto Bonciani on Fri, 2010-01-08 11:42.
It was with an irrepressible sadness that I heard about Thomas unbelievable
loss in the accident of Sunday. He will remain in our hearts as an
outstanding scientist and an incredibly good person.
Dear Gudrun, with a big affection I offer you my condolences, hoping that
you will recover soon and that you will have the strength to overcome these
moments.
Submitted by Arjun Berera on Fri, 2010-01-08 11:33.
I found Thomas to be a very pure hearted person. On any matter,
what he believed is what he told you. After any discussion with
Thomas, you never left feeling he is hiding something or not
being straightforward. In the many meetings I have sat with him
related to physics or otherwise, I have heard Thomas with his forceful voice say with clarity this is not right, he disagrees
with such and such and then offer his reasons. He would say it with such honesty and clarity of thought, that you may disagree with him, but you would never grudge him for saying it.
He also was someone with a great sense of humor, and saw the world in a very clear way. I will miss him greatly as a friend and colleague. Within our group, Thomas was a rock of stability,
who we all could rely on.
My condolences to Gudrun, you were both a lovely couple.
Also my condolences to his parents and family. He would have
been a son that would make any family proud. If I feel
so bad about this, I can not imagine what you must be
going through. Nevertheless there is strength in knowing
his time on earth was well utilized and he has left his
mark in our profession as well as left something of himself
in the hearts of many of us.
Words never can tell the sadness about this terrible accident.
Dear Tom, I like to keep you always in my memory as a strong alpiniste and a very good friend.
You show us again the the date of the our last travel isn`t written in the calender...
Andreas
Submitted by Marco Rossi on Fri, 2010-01-08 09:05.
I am so shocked by this news. I met Thomas in Annecy, then we shared a flat in Edinburgh during three years. He was such a nice person. I will never forget all the countless moments of life we enjoyed together.
My heart is with Gudrun and with Thomas family.
Submitted by Y. Kurihara on Fri, 2010-01-08 07:21.
We are saddened by the news on the so-early passing of Dr. Thomas Binoth. We would like to express our deep condolences over his death.
He was a distinguished young leader of the field of the radiative correction especially for the LHC physics. The "Golem" being developed by Thomas Binoth and his collaborators is one of the most advanced system of the automatic calculation system for NLO-QCD. His early death is a great loss for the high energy physics community.
We pledge not to stop our step to "Long and Hard Calculations (by T. Binoth at ACAT2008)" dedicated to his memory.
GRACE Group
Y. Shimizu, J. Fujimoto, T. Ueda, M. Jimbo, T. Ishikawa, T. Kon,
T. Kaneko, T. Uematsu, M. Kuroda, N. Nakazawa, F. Yuasa,
K. Kato, Y. Kurihara
Submitted by Bill Kilgore on Fri, 2010-01-08 06:33.
Thomas was a wonderful friend and colleague and an excellent physicist. Always friendly and open with his insights, he was a pleasure to be around. His loss is a terrible tragedy and I will miss him greatly.
I send all my best wishes and sympathies to Gudrun.
Submitted by Roman Nevzorov on Fri, 2010-01-08 05:05.
This is a great tragedy what happened with Thomas. I have met Thomas many times. I enjoyed talking with him. We discussed many different issues. Thomas was very good person and outstanding scientist. This is a tragic loss. Hope that Gudrun will recover soon.
Submitted by Luigi Del Debbio on Fri, 2010-01-08 02:16.
Thomas and I both arrived in Edinburgh five years ago; his welcoming manners led to an immediate friendship, and we shared many good moments in physics and in life since then. His commitment to physics, his "moral imperative", his caring attention for colleagues, students and children alike, my hopeless attempts to remember how to speak German - so many good memories! Thomas' company was always a pleasure. True friendship, a mosaic of minute, daily events. It was brutally shattered.
His wit and his kindness, his exemplary dedication to our field, will be remembered, and sorely missed.
My thoughts are with Gudrun at this horrible time.
Submitted by Keith Ellis on Fri, 2010-01-08 00:53.
I had the greatest of respect for Thomas,
because of his direct approach to physics
and his straightforward and friendly manner.
I send my sincerest condolences to Gudrun and
the other members of Thomas's family. You are very
much in my thoughts.
Submitted by Stefano Forte on Thu, 2010-01-07 22:41.
I will never forget Thomas' smile whenever year after year I met him in Edinburgh: although I never had the opportunity to spend much time with him, he always had some kind words, some interesting physics to talk about, genuine curiosity about whatever idea I could offer. It was a friend's smile. It remains in my heart.
Submitted by Andrea Ferroglia on Thu, 2010-01-07 22:32.
I was fortunate enough to hang out and play some rounds of Doppelkopf with
Thomas at RADCOR just a couple of months ago. It is hard to accept what
happened. In this very sad and tragic moment my thoughts go to Gudrun and
Thomas's family. Condolences.
Submitted by Pietro Falgari on Thu, 2010-01-07 22:26.
I had the privilege to talk to Thomas only few times, yet the sad news of his death came as a great shock.
He was a talented physicist, and a good man. He will be greatly missed.
My sincere condolences to Gudrun and to Thomas’ family.
I remember one of my first days as a student in Kings Buildings, I was walking back after lectures on a sunny day and a moustached figure came running up the hill towards me. I recognised him as Thomas, my Director of Studies who at the time I barely knew, and I certainly didn't expect him to remember me. Yet as he passed me he gave me a warm smile and said "Hello Ben!". I was amazed, and I remember thinking "How did he recognise me?! He must have umpteen students that he's Director of Studies for", but that's just who Thomas was, a kind man who always had time for others around him. I feel very lucky to have had him as a Director of Studies and a supervisor, and also as a friend. His advice was always enlightening and his enthusiasm and intensity infectious.
Thomas we will miss you.
Submitted by Simon Bates on Thu, 2010-01-07 21:09.
This news has come as a terrible shock to all of us; the School has tragically lost an honest, genuine and caring colleague. Thomas will be greatly missed in Edinburgh by staff who worked alongside him and also by the many students that he taught and was Director of Studies to.
Submitted by John Womersley on Thu, 2010-01-07 20:15.
This is very sad news indeed and a tragic loss for all of us. I would like to add my condolences to the many already posted here and convey my sympathy and best wishes to Thomas's family and friends.
Submitted by Maria V. Garzelli on Thu, 2010-01-07 19:55.
A very unkind avalanche on a very kind person.....why ? It is truly hard to understand how Nature works.......and when a scientist, like Thomas, makes its best to investigate it and to explain to others what he understood, the Nature seemingly makes its best to hide its nature.....
We are with you, Gudrun.
Submitted by Markus Bernhardt on Thu, 2010-01-07 18:59.
What a warm and giving person Thomas was. We shared a number of precious laughs, food, drinks, and a very tiring mountain run with Thomas a mile ahead of me.
All the best to Gudrun.
Submitted by Kenneth Lane on Thu, 2010-01-07 18:48.
Dear friends of Thomas --
There aren't words to express properly my upset at this terrible news. Although I knew Thomas only slightly, I always thought he was one of the sweetest people I ever met. Always friendly, and always kind. It is also not possible to express proper condolences to his wonderful friend Gudrun. I wish her a full recovery and peace and, someday, warm memories of her many wonderful times with Thomas.
Submitted by David Kosower on Thu, 2010-01-07 18:47.
This terrible and sad news comes as a great shock, that mere snow could fell a man who conquered mountains. A tragedy made only deeper in falling so soon after the start of the LHC, towards which physics his life's work was so enthusiastically dedicated.
My heartfelt condolences to Gudrun.
Submitted by Do Hoang Son on Thu, 2010-01-07 18:33.
It cannot be true! I don't want to believe that we lost Thomas Binoth.
In my memory, he is still standing there by the table with a cup of coffee at Les Houches 2009, and summarize for me about the progresses of loops and legs during the last years.
Gudrun, I wish you soon recover, overcome this sadness, and again, climbing to the mountains where Binoth and you loved to go!
Submitted by Felix Bruemmer on Thu, 2010-01-07 18:29.
As someone who has known Thomas for a short time only, far too short indeed, I still feel incredibly saddened and shocked. He was a very friendly and warm person, a good climbing mate, and a great companion to have a chat and a pint with. I will miss him.
Submitted by Tobias Kleinschmidt on Thu, 2010-01-07 18:06.
This came as such a terrible shock. In the far too short time I knew Thomas, he became a great friend and mentor. I will never forget all the happy and funny moments we shared with Thomas - sitting together for lunch, dinner, beer and Whisky, having bbq at his house, playing Skat, going climbing, hearing about his weekend trips to the Highlands... The space this friendly man occupied in my life feels huge, now that it is empty.
My deepest sympathies go to Gudrun and his family.
Thomas, Chuss. The rest is so hard to say and you would know what I would like to convey, were it about physics, standard and non standard, books, music and friends. Fawzi and Ini
Submitted by Matthew Schwartz on Thu, 2010-01-07 17:47.
Thomas was a great scientist and his death is a great loss to the physics community. I will miss his strong opinions and our enlightening conversations about QCD. My thoughts go out to Gudrun, may you have a quick and complete recovery.
Submitted by Gustaaf Brooijmans on Thu, 2010-01-07 17:36.
I am overwhelmed by sadness at learning of this news. As I got to know Thomas I grew more and more fond of him, and I was looking forward to future encounters. A great human being and a great physicist. A huge loss.
Submitted by Conor Fitzpatrick on Thu, 2010-01-07 17:22.
Dr. Binoth was an exceptional physicist as has already been shown by many on this page. He was also an enthusiastic, dedicated and gifted lecturer whose Standard Model course was a pleasure to attend. His friendliness and patience when answering even trivial questions made his enthusiasm contagious, and he will be sorely missed by undergraduates and postgraduates alike, alongside his colleagues. Edinburgh has lost a great member of its faculty, and the Physics community as a whole has lost a gifted contributor, at a time when he was at his prime.
My thoughts are with his family and friends.
Submitted by vittorio del duca on Thu, 2010-01-07 17:18.
I am deeply shocked by the news. With Thomas I shared the passion for the mountains, and as a mountaineer he was far better than me. He was good-natured, I always felt at ease with him.
My thoughts are with Gudrun
Submitted by Tilman Plehn on Thu, 2010-01-07 17:05.
Leaving Edinburgh I knew I would very much miss Thomas as a friend, colleague and QCD expert. It will take a long time to get used to the fact that I cannot just walk into JCMB to talk to him about physics and life. I will always remember him the way we saw him here in Heidelberg, sitting in a Cafe on Hauptstrasse and radiating his usual unique warmth and friendship. In a group or collaboration everyone wants to be the leader and the big brains, while it was always clear the Thomas would be the heart.
Gudrun - I hope you'll recover soon and get over the shock. This all makes no sense!!
This is a truly terrible loss. Thomas was a great person and physicist, and I could not have asked for a better person to have been my supervisor during my studies. Having at once a great knowledge of physics with keen insight into many problems and a pragmatic side which kept me from many an abstract wild goose chase.
On a personal level, he showed me kindness and understanding when I needed it and enthusiasm and encouragement to keep going when I could have so easily stopped.
He will be missed.
My heart goes out to Gudrun and Thomas' family and I hope they can take some measure of comfort from all the messages here.
Submitted by Karon McBride on Thu, 2010-01-07 16:57.
This is such sad news and I can hardly believe it is true. I enjoyed working with Thomas very much and will miss him enormously. Although skeptical about learning technologies at first, Thomas took everything we introduced him to in his stride and challenged us to meet high standards. His legacy in the SUPA Graduate School includes the effective video-conference lecture structure known as the 'Binoth Sandwich' and a set of Standard Model lecture introductions known to the students as 'The Binoth Files'. In addition, there is the Binoth Limit - no email should never contain more than four lines - a rule which will remain in SUPA Central folklore for years to come.
Submitted by Ioan Wigmore on Thu, 2010-01-07 16:54.
I am so proud to have had Thomas as my supervisor. He was a kind, enthusiastic man who seemingly could do anything and everything. He could tell stories and anecdotes that would enthral everyone around him, and no-one else could refer to a drunken man as "off-shell" in quite such an endearing way. He will be sorely missed.
Submitted by Marialuisa Aliotta - Malcolm McMahon on Thu, 2010-01-07 16:04.
We were shocked and deeply saddened by Thomas' premature and unexpected death. He was a very fine man and a wonderful colleague. We have nice memories of a dinner together amongst work colleagues. We went on chatting and laughing until the early hours of the morning. It was just such a pleasure to have him around!
He will be greatly missed by all who knew him as a friend, a colleague, and a teacher.
Our thoughts now go to his family and Gudrun in the hope that somehow they will manage to overcome this terrible time.
Submitted by Tania Robens on Thu, 2010-01-07 15:44.
When I heard the news I was terribly shocked, and I think most of us haven't grapsed yet what this loss truly means. Thomas was a wonderful and honest person, and bright physicist, making great impact on the field, and good to talk to concerning physics and personal live. I am happy I still had the chance to talk to him and share some Whisky with him in Durham just before Christmas, and am greatful for all occasions I had to meet him. We will all miss Thomas very deeply.
My thoughts are also with Gudrun and Thomas family, and I whish them the strength to overcome this terrible loss.
Submitted by Suzanne Gascon-Shotkin on Thu, 2010-01-07 15:30.
I saw Thomas and Gudrun together at the end of the 2009 Les Houches Physics at TeV Colliders workshop in June. They were preparing to enjoy a few days of a well-deserved hiking vacation. Their simplicity and discretion despite their enormous talents is an example for all of us to follow. My thoughts are with Gudrun and their families.
Submitted by Gionata Luisoni on Thu, 2010-01-07 14:34.
I know Thomas personally only since a few month, but the tragic news of Monday makes me feel a deep sense of empty. I have lost a friend.
My sincere condolence to Gudrun and his family.
Submitted by Heinrich Päs on Thu, 2010-01-07 14:23.
After the shock is fading away, I fell deep sorrow that I will never again experience Thomas' relaxed and friendly personality and his deep voice, both so very typical for him. I remember when in Würzburg he was advising me to accept my postdoc offer in Hawaii - a crucial step in my career - with the words "man - there are VULCANOES there", and the enthusiasm in his eyes.
May we try to keep some of his virtues alive.
And may his memory help Gudrun to recover soon.
It is with great sadness that I write this. Thomas was a tremendous colleague, always approachable and willing to help. It was manifest that he really cared about his directees and the students he taught and supervised. He was someone you could really depend upon. I was looking forward to many years of discussing LHC physics with him. This is a terrible loss for the field.
My deepest condolences to Godrun and the rest of his family.
Submitted by Stephan Eisenhardt on Thu, 2010-01-07 12:53.
Thomas was a colleague close to my heart. Although we were not close in collaboration, every time we had contact he won my strong sympathy with his personality, his humor, his wits and the sharp mind.
Actually, him dying in the second avalanche while helping the victims of the first only underwrites the picture of a caring person one always could see before.
I will miss him. My sincere condolences to all who knew him closer.
Submitted by German Rodrigo on Thu, 2010-01-07 12:47.
I'm very sad about this terrible accident. I know both Thomas and Gudrun since long time ago, and it was always a pleasure to meet them at any workshop or conference. The LHC is missing a great physicist, and a better person. All my condolences to his family, and wish a fast recovery for Gudrun.
Submitted by Margarete Muehlleitner on Thu, 2010-01-07 12:36.
When I think of Thomas I see his warm smile, I remember his way of saying "look!" in the conversation. I admired his calm and honest character. I was always happy to meet him and to talk to him at conferences and in Annecy. I am terribly shocked.
My thoughts go to Gudrun and his family.
With Thomas I shared two passions. Physics and the mountains. I frequently met him in the the department corridors as well as at the climbing wall and I am deeply shocked by this tragic accident.
I participate to the sorrow of all his family and friends.
Submitted by Malgorzata Worek & Michal Czakon on Thu, 2010-01-07 11:43.
It was with a great sense of loss that we heard of Thomas death.
Thomas was more than just a colleague. His warmth, sincerity
and high ideals were rare within our community.
We know that his passing will not only leave a void in our lives, but
in the hearts of all those who knew him.
He will always remain within our hearts.
Our sincere thoughts are with Gudrun.
With our deepest sympathy,
Malgorzata and Michal
Submitted by Fiorenza Donato on Thu, 2010-01-07 11:29.
Thomas, as well as being a rock in life and in physics, was one of those rare persons who communicate poetry.
Gudrun, my strongest and sweetest feelings are for you.
Thomas was an excellent colleague, friend and physicist. The news of his death in Switzerland came as an enormous shock. Although I have been retired for over four years now, I retain very strong memories of many conversations with Thomas on physics but also on our shared love of mountains.
Thomas was a real team player. Nothing was too much trouble for him: he made an enormous contribution to the life and work of the Edinburgh group, and to the School. He will be greatly missed by us all. My deepest sympathy goes to Gudrun and to his family.
Submitted by Radja Boughezal on Thu, 2010-01-07 10:59.
What a shock and terrible loss. The picture of him I always had and still have in minde is his smile speaking with enthusiasm and friendliness. Hard to beleive we wont see him again. We will greatly miss you.
My most sincere condolences to Gudrun and both families, I hope she will recover very soon.
Submitted by Lorenzo Magnea on Thu, 2010-01-07 10:51.
Thomas was one of the best, and the loss is great. To me, he was not just a colleague, but a friend. We will remember him as an excellent physicist, a dedicated worker, a good leader, but to me there is much more: he was a good man. Friendly, open, honest, trustworthy, helpful. There was a twinkling light in his eyes, behind the glasses, and a gentle smile under his moustache. Now that light and that smile have been taken away, and I feel just great sadness.
Gudrun, my heart goes out to you! Be strong in this terrible time, you are surrounded by many friends, please count me as one of them.
Submitted by Bernd Jantzen on Thu, 2010-01-07 10:30.
I met Thomas only a few times, but I always liked his company - whether for discussing physics or for drinking beer. The loss of this kind person and great scientist has been a deep shock. My sincere condolences go to Thomas' family and to Gudrun with best wishes for her recovery.
Submitted by Zoltan Trocsanyi on Thu, 2010-01-07 10:03.
Dear Thomas, we shall remember and miss your exceptional personality.
My heartfelt sympathy goes to Gudrun and your family.
GOLEM has taken you -- conquer it.
Submitted by Richard Hermel on Thu, 2010-01-07 09:56.
What a terrible shock ! I couldn't believe it ! Thomas became a friend when he stayed in Annecy a few years ago. He was a great rock climbing companion and a so pleasant guy to talk with about any subject.
We can guess he was happy just before the drama happened.
I send all my condolences to Gudrun and his family.
Submitted by Peter Zerwas on Thu, 2010-01-07 09:44.
I am very sad to hear about Thomas' death. We will miss Thomas as a talented and dedicated theorist. His enthusiasm and his friendly character will always be remembered.
Submitted by Dieter Zeppenfeld on Thu, 2010-01-07 09:22.
It was a great shock to hear of the terrible accident and the death of Thomas. We will all miss him, as a friend who was always fun to talk to, as a colleague who contributed so much to particle physics, and as a wonderful
fellow human.
Submitted by Paolo Nason on Thu, 2010-01-07 08:57.
I am deeply saddened by this. I remember Thomas as a solid collegue, and a
nice guy to deal with. I hope Gudrun will recover soon, and find the strength to overcome this terrible moment.
Submitted by Philipp Mertsch on Thu, 2010-01-07 01:00.
I am grateful having had Thomas co-supervise my Diplomarbeit. He was a great teacher and his commitment and contagious enthusiasm have inspired me and deepened my interest in nature. My sincere condolences to Gudrun and the family.
Submitted by Stefan Weinzierl on Thu, 2010-01-07 00:56.
What a shock and sadness to hear the news about Thomas' death.
I remember him as a colleague, open, friendly, honest and always cheering up. It was fun to discuss physics and other things with him. It is hard to believe that he is not there any more.
My best wishes to Gudrun to look ahead.
Submitted by Ulrich Baur on Thu, 2010-01-07 00:03.
How sad. What terrible news. Thomas was a great friend. He was an extremely talented Physicist who made a very significant impact on the field.
We will all miss him terribly as a friend and colleague.
My heart goes out to Gudrun. I wish her strength in such a difficult time, and hope that she will recover fully and fast.
Submitted by Nilanjana Datta on Thu, 2010-01-07 00:03.
We have lost a very dear friend and the world has lost a wonderful man - kind, loving, thoughtful, enthusiastic, a dedicated and talented scientist and a true mountain-man! To know him was to love him.
Memories are flooding back - happy times spent with Gudrun and Thomas over the years from 1994; rock-climbing in Salbitchen, hiking in the Swiss Alps, dancing in a ceilidh in Scotland, cycling through muddy fields in Cambridge...and so much more...
Gudrun - we are with you in our thoughts. May you find the strength to accept this unbearable loss. May Thomas' soul rest in peace. Our deepest condolences to his family.
Submitted by Zoltan Kunszt on Wed, 2010-01-06 23:32.
Thomas was an outstanding scientist and a great friend. I admired
his full dedication and great enthusiasm. This is a terrible lost.
With much sadness I send my condolence to Gudrun and to his family.
We miss him so much.
Submitted by Matteo Cacciari on Wed, 2010-01-06 23:27.
The first thing that came to mind, when I heard the terrible news, was I could not remember Thomas as being anything other than smiling and good-humoured. You'll be missed. The only soothing thought is knowing that you were doing something you loved.
Submitted by Anshul Sirur on Wed, 2010-01-06 23:27.
Thomas is one of the people I will always associate with my time at Edinburgh. He provided excellent guidance and support, getting me settled in to my first year and keeping me on track in subsequent years.
His loss will be felt by all and I will especially miss my start-of-year discussions with him.
Submitted by Guido Altarelli on Wed, 2010-01-06 23:15.
I am terribly shocked and saddened. I admired him very much both as a person and as a very talented and dedicated theorist. My most sincere condolences to Gudrun and the family.
Submitted by Michael Krämer and Ana on Wed, 2010-01-06 23:08.
I first met Thomas in 1995 at a workshop in Assergi. Ana and myself were on a hike when Thomas walked towards us, greeted us and told us how beautiful it was further up the mountain... I got to know him well when he joined the Edinburgh particle theory group in 2000. I have very fond memories of the time we spent together in Edinburgh, with lots of physics discussions and joint projects, but also the many lunch breaks we spent running through the Hermitage of Braid and Blackford Hill. Thomas was an excellent and inspiring physicist, but more importantly he was a great person and a friend. We last saw him when he visited Aachen some time ago for a seminar and was over for dinner at our house. We will miss him a lot. Our hearts go out to Gudrun and Thomas' family. Michael and Ana.
Submitted by Lance Dixon on Wed, 2010-01-06 22:58.
From one mountaineer to another, much better one (and to misappropiate another's poem): Thomas, you have slipped the surly bonds of Earth. Sunward you've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth of sun-split clouds, and topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace where never lark, or ever eagle flew. May you rest in peace now, and let others continue the quest to unravel nature's secrets, to which you contributed so strongly, and which engaged you for so long at those lower elevations.
Gudrun, my thoughts are with you throughout.
Submitted by Andrew Halley on Wed, 2010-01-06 22:33.
Thomas you were a fine man. So very fine, so many ways.
Our first meeting was in the mountains where you shared your helmet in the dark, climbed up the rope to free it for us all. As the years have moved on, we touched each other's lives, together in high places and low, with our dearest ones.
Your humour, kindness and perception built a friendship to cherish. Had hoped to be with you both this weekend in Scotland together. I am stunned into silence.
Thomas, we miss you unbearably. Gudrun - we wrap our love around you.
Submitted by Bryan Webber on Wed, 2010-01-06 22:22.
This is a terrible loss -- to physics, to the the physics community, to Thomas's family and his many friends. He will be remembered with great respect and affection.
Submitted by michelangelo mangano on Wed, 2010-01-06 22:12.
dearest thomas, with all the enthusiasm you put into your work, the dedication, the hard work and the unmatched skills, I just hope that, from where you are now, you can finally get a clear picture of how nature really works, something which we earthlings are left down here struggling to find out. we'll miss you.
Submitted by Richard Kenway on Wed, 2010-01-06 21:52.
Many thoughts, but so hard to find words...
The world has lost a fine physicist, potentially one of its finest. Thomas was yet to reach his peak. The LHC presented him with such a great opportunity. That is now for others.
Our School has lost one of the best academics I have had the privilege to work with. Caring, sincere, enthusiastic, utterly dependable, always willing to do more, whether in teaching, student support, research, or administration, Thomas was an example to us all. He set the bar high. That will be remembered.
I've lost a dear friend who could run faster and climb higher. Thomas enjoyed Nature up close. I am comforted that he died in a high place, at Nature's hand, surrounded by its beauty.
Submitted by Simone Marzani on Wed, 2010-01-06 21:37.
This has come as a total shock. Thomas had been a very important person during my PhD. He has always found time for my questions, conveying a great enthusiasm for physics; I have always considered his advice most precious. He was also a very kind man, and I will never forget barbecues, beer and whisky at his place.
I'll keep printed in my mind our last chat about physics, in a pub, in Durham, less then a month ago.
My heart goes to Gudrun and all his family and friends for this unbearable sorrow.
Like all who met him I am shocked and sad. Thomas was real strong, positive and friendly presence in physics who will be badly missed. My thoughts with his family.
Submitted by Ciaran Williams on Wed, 2010-01-06 21:22.
For someone starting out Thomas was a great person to meet. His enthusiasm, friendliness and support made knowing him a real pleasure. I was deeply saddened and shocked to hear the news, he will be sorely missed.
Submitted by Jeff Forshaw on Wed, 2010-01-06 21:10.
My heart goes out to Thomas' family. It was a pleasure to know Thomas - such a warm, enthusiastic and friendly man. I always enjoyed his company a great deal.
Submitted by Herbi Dreiner on Wed, 2010-01-06 20:27.
I just came back from a skiing holiday in Eastern Switzerland and am terribly shocked. I had a wonderful time in Les Houches once with Thomas, discussing physics but also forming a table tennis
double partnership, which we often discussed in later years: "kaempfen" was our motto. I hope Gudrun is well. God, I'll miss him.....
Submitted by Joey Huston on Wed, 2010-01-06 19:20.
Thomas was a first-rate friend, as well as a first-rate physicist. He was a joy to work with and to socialize with. His only flaw was his failure to say
"Edinburra" properly. I will remember the sound of him practicing the pronounciation for the rest of my life. Rest in peace, Thomas. We will greatly miss you. Your friend, Joey
Submitted by Tony Kennedy on Wed, 2010-01-06 16:52.
Thomas' death came as a great shock to me, as I am sure it did to everyone. He will be greatly missed by many of us.
I always enjoyed working with him, he was always interested and enthusiastic, and I learned a lot from him over the years we worked together.
Submitted by Terrance Figy on Wed, 2010-01-06 16:47.
I had much respect for Thomas as a person and as a physicist. I considered him to be one of good guys. I valued his advice. He was both talented and hard working. I miss him greatly.
Submitted by Richard Ball on Wed, 2010-01-06 16:03.
Thomas was an enthusiast, with a dedication to physics second to none. He was never one to choose the easiest route - he loved a challenge. And he loved the mountains.
Losing him at the peak of his career is a terrible shock for all of us. He will be greatly missed, both as a colleague and as a friend.
Last updated on Wednesday, 1 October 2014 - 1:58pm
This is an archived website, preserved and hosted by the
School of Physics and Astronomy
at the University of Edinburgh.
The School of Physics and Astronomy takes no responsibility
for the content, accuracy or freshness of this website.
Please email webmaster [at] ph [dot] ed [dot] ac [dot] uk
for enquiries about this archive.
Thank you so much for all
Thank you so much for all your messages! Now that I am finally able to read this page,
I am overwhelmed by all your expressions of support and understanding.
And beyond this page, I am really grateful to everybody who helped me to carry on, each in his/her own way, in physics and in life. It really made a difference.
Thanks again,
Gudrun
Liebe Gudrun, als ich von
We are so sad and shocked
Dear Gudrun, I was full of
Dear Thomas, I will remember
This is a great loss for
My heartfelt condolence to
Thomas's untimely death. We
Wir sind fassungslos ueber
I still cannot believe that
hi Thomas, i feel extremely
While Tom was working on his
Thomas, it is such a shock to
I keep looking around
Like everyone who has ever
Dear Thomas It was a
Depuis que j’ai appris la
The news that Thomas has gone
Dass Thomas nicht mehr unter
Ich war zutiefst bestürzt,
It is so sad to hear the news
I will always remember the
A bright, sunny light and a
I spent some time talking to
I have been so shocked an
Thomas was, in every respect,
From HEPTOOLS for Thomas
We have been shocked by the
dear Gudrun, our most sincere
This came as a terrible shock
This news is so shocking. My
When it came to physics
I have just returned from a
It was such a shock to
The news about Thomas' death
Voll Freunden war mir die
I have only met Thomas a
I feel privileged having met
I just read the arXiv today,
I am very saddened and
With Thomas we truly lost the
Still I cannot believe that
Still I cannot believe that
In this moment of pain, we
I remained speechless when I
Dear Thomas, I am deeply
Dear Thomas It was a great
In my memory I keep Thomas as
Thomas, It was always a great
(We met Thomas and Gudrun
My last memory of Thomas is
I was really shocked and very
I am very saddened to hear
This tragic news came as a
Thomas, you were a great
We are deeply shocked and
I met Thomas a handful of
I still cannot grasp that
Tom was a schoolmate to me
We regret about Thomas' death
As much as I wish I knew
Thomas's loss is deeply
I met Thomas 34 years ago.
Words cannot describe the
Thomas was my supervisor and
There are no words to express
It is with a lot of sadness
We were all very saddened
With Thomas I lost not only
It was with an irrepressible
I found Thomas to be a very
Words never can tell the
I am so shocked by this news.
We are saddened by the news
Thomas was a wonderful friend
This is a great tragedy what
So sad to hear about this
Thomas and I both arrived in
I had the greatest of respect
I will never forget Thomas'
I was fortunate enough to
I had the privilege to talk
It was a big saddeness to
I remember one of my first
This news has come as a
This is very sad news indeed
A very unkind avalanche on a
What a warm and giving person
Dear friends of Thomas
This terrible and sad news
It cannot be true! I don't
As someone who has known
This came as such a terrible
Thomas, Chuss. The rest is so
Thomas was a great scientist
I am overwhelmed by sadness
Dr. Binoth was an exceptional
I am deeply shocked by the
Leaving Edinburgh I knew I
This is a truly terrible
This is such sad news and I
I am so proud to have had
Good bye Thomas. You will
We were shocked and deeply
When I heard the news I was
I saw Thomas and Gudrun
I know Thomas personally only
After the shock is fading
It is with great sadness that
I already miss Thomas who was
Thomas was a colleague close
I'm very sad about this
When I think of Thomas I see
With Thomas I shared two
It was with a great sense of
Thomas, as well as being a
Thomas was an excellent
What a shock and terrible
Thomas was one of the best,
I met Thomas only a few
My condoleances and sincere
Dear Thomas, we shall
I am deeply shocked by this
What a terrible shock ! I
I am very sad to hear about
It was a great shock to hear
Him whom the gods love dies
I am deeply saddened by this.
What a terrible loss. Thomas
Dear Thomas I will remember
I am grateful having had
What a shock and sadness to
How sad. What terrible news.
We have lost a very dear
I'm so sad to hear this.
Thomas was an outstanding
The first thing that came to
Thomas is one of the people I
I am terribly shocked and
I first met Thomas in 1995 at
From one mountaineer to
I am so sorry to hear this.
Thomas you were a fine man.
This came as a great shock.
This is a terrible loss -- to
dearest thomas, with all the
Many thoughts, but so hard to
This has come as a total
Like all who met him I am
For someone starting out
My heart goes out to Thomas'
Thomas death is such a
I just came back from a
Thomas was a first-rate
Thomas' death came as a great
I had much respect for Thomas
Thomas was an enthusiast,