Professor Emeritus Eddie Baart, who died in Port Elizabeth two days before Christmas, has been described as a respected teacher, researcher and intellectual leader of the Rhodes community.
Professor Emeritus Eddie Baart, who died in Port Elizabeth two days before Christmas, has been described as a respected teacher, researcher and intellectual leader of the Rhodes community.
He died in the early hours of 23 December in the Aurora Hospital.
Dr Baart was a professor of Physics at Rhodes University for 30 years. He was among a group who continued Rhodes University’s legacy as an international hub for Radio Astronomy research by starting the Rhodes/HartRAO SkyMap – a survey of the southern sky.
In an email to Rhodes staff, deputy vice-chancellor Peter Clayton said Baart had enrolled as a student at Rhodes in 1951.
He obtained a Doctorate in Nuclear Physics at Liverpool University in 1959, before returning to Rhodes University as a Senior Lecturer in the Physics Department in 1960.
He was appointed Professor in 1969 and succeeded Professor Jack Gledhill as Head of Department in 1984, a position he held until 1993. "It is fair to say that these origins of radio astronomy in South Africa here at Rhodes University ultimately led to the winning of the bid for hosting the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope in 2012," Clayton said.
Between 1971 and 1991 Baart was a member of the Advisory Board of the South African Astronomical Observatory and served as President of the Astronomical Society of South Africa in 1981 and 1982.
Professor Baart also published numerous papers throughout his career. Baart was a much-loved teacher, and dozens of former students paid tribute to him on Grocott's Mail's website and Facebook page.
Baart received a Carnegie Fellowship in Physics Education and was awarded the first Vice-Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 1991.
He was Chairman of the Rhodes Computer Steering Committee during a time there was a significant expansion of the campus network, Clayton said. "These were the formative years of the Internet in South Africa and we are proud to say, Rhodes University did the pioneering work. "For many years, Professor Baart was in charge of equipment for lecture theatres and helped introduce the University to photocopying, offset-litho printing, overhead and other projectors and word processors and spreadsheet packages for academic departments and the Library.
Baart played rugby for Rhodes as a student and excelled at squash.
Clayton said, "He became the Administrative Secretary of the local Shakespeare Society, was involved in amateur drama at Rhodes well before there was a Drama Department, and played many leading parts in productions of the Grahamstown Amateur Dramatic Society (GADS). "Mixing fun with work, he put in considerable time and effort in demonstrating 'The Fun of Physics' as the 'Mad Professor' to school children of all ages, at schools, at SciFest and at the Albany Museum.
His expertise saw him called on frequently to give evidence in court as an accident reconstructionist.
Baart is survived by his wife, Janine, and his extended family. "He contributed much in his life, with enthusiasm and good humour, and will be remembered with respect and fondness," Clayton said.
On Tuesday 23 December in an emailed circular, friend and fellow organiser in the Shakespeare Society Malcolm Hacksley wrote, “The death this morning of one of our longest standing and most affectionately remembered members has not come as a surprise, given the series of set-backs he experienced this year, and yet Eddie's passing is a shock. We shall miss him more than he would have imagined. Today finds us all the poorer.”
There will be a Memorial Wake for Professor Emeritus Eddie Baart on Sunday 11 January at 12 noon, which colleagues and friends have been invited to attend.
