Werner Albrecht (1924 - 2014)

Werner Albrecht, one of the very first mechanical designers recruited by CERN, passed away on 28 March. Born and educated in Zurich, where he spent the first years of his professional life, he joined CERN in June 1955.

Thanks to his experience and personality, he soon became the deputy to Frank Blythe, the head of the Synchrocyclotron (SC) technical office. The office, which included a large mechanical workshop, had been created in the light of the development and construction of the SC - the first of CERN’s accelerators.

For around 25 years Werner kept this position at Frank’s side while the services under their responsibility evolved to become the natural facility to provide design and development for a large range of apparatus required by experimental physicists.

After Frank’s retirement in 1980, Werner became head of the office, maintaining its typical character as an efficient, informal and friendly service. Omega, UA1, Aleph, Opal and Delphi are examples of large installations that they extensively supported.

Werner was serious, competent, reliable and always happy to help. Greatly respected by his collaborators and by the engineers and physicists using his services, he was always able to find straightforward satisfactory solutions to technical problems, as well as the way to implement them rapidly. He retired from CERN in 1989.

Werner had the greatest respect for the institutions of his country and he felt it was his duty to serve the community. Thus, in Grand-Saconnex, where he lived, he assumed the roles of councillor and President of the Council. After retirement he held the posts of treasurer and Vice-President of the CERN Pensioners’ Association (GAC).

Our heartfelt condolences go to his wife Marguerite, his children Roger and Catherine and their families. We, his old friends from CERN, will remember Werner with deep gratitude and respect.

His CERN colleagues