Bob Schommer was one of the best known astronomers of his generation, and his career was a rich and happy and varied one.

He clearly liked observatories a lot, and his move from Rutgers University to Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory was a good one. In the U.S. Gemini Program he brought the talents of a real people person to a job that requires that, and he was achieving real success.

Bob has been a member of the NOAO family for the last ten years and well known to all of us for his commitment, grace, and the great personal qualities that he brought to the leadership of the U.S. Gemini Program.

After graduate school at the University of Washington, Bob notched up some scientific achievements which gained him real renown.

He was one of a small number of pioneers of neutral hydrogen radioastronomy outside the local supercluster with Arecibo.

He invented the short distance scale to the Magellanic Clouds, thereby setting off a chain reaction of argument that will not be settled until we measure the distance with a billion-dollar satellite.

He and Carol Christian adopted the galaxy Messier 33 and measured the ages of its star clusters.

He helped to answer the question, why are we moving with a speed of .2%c in an apparently random direction?

He helped to discover that the Universe is accelerating. There is a cast of characters to credit for this desperately puzzling result.

How should we commemorate Bob? The answer is that we want to do this in a living way. There are at least two of these.

• We must continue the work of the NOAO Gemini Science Center, which Bob began.
• We can contribute to an educational fund for his family.

Bob believed in himself, he believed in Cerro Tololo, and he believed in his vision of what AURA should do. One of my first activities in coming to AURA was to organize a major workshop on the future of the National Observatories. It is no coincidence that Bob’s name surfaced to the top of the list of those whose opinions mattered. It was at that workshop that I first met Bob and I have called on him often since then for advice.

I can think of no better legacy to Bob than for us all to emulate his good qualities and carry on his work.

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It is with great sadness that I send this note. Bob Schommer was a friend and colleague of mine for over 20 years. I still remember fondly our early days observing at Arecibo, picking galaxies off the Palomar Sky Survey prints, observing around the clock, and taking care not to point the telescope at any galaxy behind the Sun. Bob was a Renaisannce astronomer with interests ranging all the way from stellar populations and globular clusters to cosmology with Supernovae and gravitational lenses. He made substantial contributions in a number of areas. He touched a lot of people. He always described himself as being in trouble, but I always found the exact opposite--- he was there helping people out of trouble. Bob cared deeply for CTIO and NOAO. He was always working behind the scenes to improve conditions for the staff and for getting astronomy done. In his last years, he took on the incredibly difficult job of US Gemini Project Scientist and was beginning to win more recognition for Gemini in the US community and of the US in the Gemini community.

I will miss him.

Bob Schommer was a friend, supporter, critic, and advocate for the Gemini Telescope Project in the United States and the Gemini partner countries. He earned the respect of the Gemini community through his honest assessments of people's needs and desires for this new observatory. He had a talent for listening to the range of opinions--in astronomy almost always a large one-- finding the unifying positions, and using them as foundations for progress.

As a scientist he brought enthusiasm to his research, and promoted the field, both through his results and the support that he gave many of us as we tried to get up and going with observing programs at CTIO.

Bob's death was untimely and a loss that is deeply felt within the Gemini partnership. The Gemini Board sends its sympathies to his family, friends, and colleagues, all of whom we join in missing Bob.

Jay Gallagher, Chair

Gemini Board

Bob Schommer was an active member of the international Gemini Science Committee, which advises the Gemini Observatory Director on scientific policy issues. All of us are deeply shocked and saddened by the news of Bob’s death; what we know in our minds we cannot accept in our hearts. Bob combined acute understanding of the scientific priorities of astronomical observatory operation and instrumentation with wisdom about what goals are achievable in a real world. Bob had a major role in the GSC as the U.S. Gemini Project Scientist, and was an effective voice in representing the considered views of his advisory committee. But a number of GSC members from other partner countries have commented on the way that Bob made them welcome and valued in the various Gemini meetings. Bob was not only an outstanding research astronomer, but also gifted in his role as an international scientific advisor and manager. I speak for all the Gemini Science Committee in offering our deepest sympathies to Bob’s family, and to his friends and colleagues at CTIO and NOAO.

Bob Joseph

for the Gemini Science Committee

Statement by Warrick Couch

It was with great shock and sadness to receive news of Bob Schommer's death last week. Not only have I been deeply affected by it, but I know of many people within the Australian astronomical community who equally share this great sense of loss, having either worked closely with Bob or been fortunate enough to be supported by him when observing at CTIO. For me personally, I greatly appreciated the genuine warmth and friendship he provided as a fellow Gemini project scientist, and the extent to which he went out of his way to make me feel welcome and valued in our regular Gemini meetings and telecons. His thoughtfulness and his well-informed and incisive contributions to these meetings will be something that we will dearly miss. Although I did not work with Bob scientifically, his outstanding reputation as a scientist and a valued collaborator was well known to me, especially through the many people here in Australia who cherished working with him.

On my own behalf as also that of the Australian Gemini Office and the Australian Gemini community, I would like to convey my deepest sympathy and condolences to his family and the NOAO community, and to acknowledge the wonderful contributions Bob made to astronomy, and to the Gemini partnership.

Warrick Couch

Australian Gemini Project Scientist

It makes a lot of sense that this gathering to share our memories of our friend Bob Schommer spans continents, oceans, and time zones, because, among Bob's many noteworthy contributions, he also excelled at bringing us all together.

His laid back style helped us all to put aside our momentary issues and problems to focus on our real goals, and to realize that those goals are shared by everyone in our widespread community. The good relationships between Tololo and Tucson, between NOAO and Gemini, and among all the Gemini partners are due in significant part to Bob's ability to bring us together. Bob taught us to make the effort to see the perspectives of others, and to recognize that we are all doing our best for the community. While I can't join you today in person, my thoughts are with you, and with Bob's family. We'll all miss him very much.

Caty Pilachowski