SIR FRED HOYLE 1915-2001
Sir Fred Hoyle, one of the most distinguished and controversial astrophysicists of the 20th century, died on 20 August at his home in Bournemouth, UK. Sir Fred was born in Bingley, Yorkshire, and educated in mathematics and theoretical physics at the University of Cambridge, where he served as a full professor from 1945 to 1973. His name is associated with the steady-state cosmological model of the universe, developed in 1948 but eclipsed during the mid-1960s by the scientific community's growing emphasis on the Big Bang theory, a term ironically coined by Sir Fred to ridicule the idea. Sir Fred made fundamental contributions to our knowledge of stellar evolution with his work on the synthesis of the elements beyond helium in stars. In 1972 he founded Cambridge's Institute of Theoretical Astronomy and served as its first director. A prolific writer, he published some 40 books both for professional scientists and the public. He also successfully tried his hand at science fiction. Sir Fred, who taught astronomy to ICTP's founding director Abdus Salam when Salam was a student in Cambridge, visited the Centre in 1970, 1985, and 1991.