LINGUIST List 8.1608

Mon Nov 10 1997

All: In Memoriam: Carl Stop-Bowitz

Editor for this issue: Martin Jacobsen <martylinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. =?iso-8859-1?Q?Jardar_Eggesb=F8_Abrahamsen?=, In memoriam Carl Stop-Bowitz

With grief we received the message that Carl Stop-Bowitz died on the
1st of November 1997 at the age of nearly 84. He was a lecturer of
zoology at the University of Oslo (Norway) and a professor at the
Akademio Internacia de la Sciencoj in San Marino. He was the president
of Norvega Esperantista Ligo (the Norwegian Esperanto Association)
1947-1977, and a co-editor of the Plena Ilustrita Vortaro, the
standard monolingual Esperanto dictionary. Until last year he was the
president of the Internacia Scienca Asocio Esperantista (International
Esperantist Association of Sciences). He was the chairman of Eldonejo
Esperanto (the Esperanto Publishing Company) in Oslo, member of
Akademio de Esperanto (the "language council"), and he was an honorary
member of Universala Esperanto-Asocio (the International Esperanto
Association). He had published several articles in Esperanto on
biology, zoology and linguistics, and he was especially concerned with
terminological issues. He was prepared to give terminological
assistance to the editors of the forthcoming Norwegian-Esperanto
Dictionary.

One of his last works was a revised edition of his book on the
Esperanto movement (_La esperanto-movado. Historio, organizo,
amplekso._ Oslo: Eldonejo Esperanto 1996) with a detailed update
especially on the Esperanto movement in Norway. He was the leading
authority on this subject, and his book will be a valuable document
for the younger generations of Norwegian Esperantists.

During the National Convention of Norvega Esperantista Ligo this
summer Stop-Bowitz stood quite a while at the piano one evening
teaching us many of the traditional songs of the international
Esperanto movement, at the request of the hosting Esperanto club of
Trondheim. "My voice is not what it used to be, and it has never been
so either" he said laughing. Everyone who knew Stop-Bowitz appreciated
his hospitality, his knowledge of language and his humour. At his
death the General Director of Universala Esperanto-Asocio in
Rotterdam, Osmo Buller, stated that Carl Stop-Bowitz was "unu el la
plej pintaj esperantistoj" (one of the most outstanding (literally
'peak') Esperantists).

At his funeral in Oslo on the 7th of November tributes were paid to
him by both the Norwegian and the international Esperanto movement,
and the Esperanto Hymn "La Espero" (Hope) was played.

Pacon je lia memoro!

Jardar Eggesbo Abrahamsen
vicprezidanto, Norvega Junularo Esperantista
(vice president, Norwegian Esperanto Youth Organisation)