Dirk Bakker 1947 – 2009

It was with great sorrow that we learnt of the death of our colleague Dirk, taken too quickly by an incurable illness against which he fought with courage and dignity.

Dirk arrived at CERN on 16 April, 1972 and spent nearly 36 years in the accelerator sector. He was instrumental in the distribution of the audio and video signals between the various accelerators and the control rooms and for the deployment of TV transmissions on the many screens all over the site. He was also the key person organizing the installations in the control rooms and his recent contributions for the CERN Control Centre (CCC) were exemplary. All the users of his services knew Dirk as an indispensable expert whose knowledge and professionalism were always appreciated. His discretion and pride in his work made Dirk a pleasant colleague.

He often impressed us when he was sharing his enthusiasm for his numerous diverse passions, such as shooting (he was French 50m shooting champion several times). His other hobbies included restoring old cars and constructing flying machines, and his invitations to fly with him were always appreciated! His in-depth knowledge of video and retransmissions allowed for many interesting and animated discussions.

His departure deeply saddens us and we will greatly miss his regular visits. Dirk will remain forever in our memories.

His colleagues from the Controls Group