It is with great sadness that we mark the passing of Dr. Stephen Hawking, one of the greatest scientific minds of our age. I personally had the honor and privilege of hearing him speak live at De Anza College in 2000. Dr. Hawking demonstrated not only his formidable intellect and scientific knowledge, but also a very human side and depth of character through his wit and good sense of humor.
If you have not seen the biographical documentary A Brief History of Time, We strongly recommend that you do so. Like Dr. Hawking himself, the film mixes wit and dry humor with a very keen and profound sense of the vastness and wonder of the universe in which we live.