In Memoriam: Hans Blumenfeld

Many of Hans’ friends, relatives, colleagues, students, and admirers gathered to pay tribute to him in Convocation Hall, University of Toronto, on the afternoon of February 26th, 1988. The thoughts of many of us were put into wonderfully apt words by our President, George Ignatieff:

“We are gathered to pay our respects to Hans Blumenfeld. Hans would not have wished his friends and admirers to mourn his death. For his was an exceptionally rich life, full of great causes and dedicated to the well-being of others, not only in this city, in this country, but as a true citizen of the world. I will speak only of his contribution to the peace movement. Having experienced wars at first hand as well as revolutions, Hans joined others in emphasizing the sanctity of life and working for the substitution of aggressive human tendencies by the quest for cooperation to ensure that our creative potential should be fulfilled. His intense commitment to peace was indeed the culmination of his extraordinary, creative career that spanned many disciplines and many interests represented here today. I would only mention, as President of Science for Peace, that one of his last benefactions was to turn over to the organization of which I am President, the Franz Blumenfeld Fund, set up in memory of his brother killed in World War I, to support creative thought and action in the cause of peace. His remarkable autobiography “LIFE BEGINS AT 65” apart from making fascinating reading, contains the best prescription for longevity of which Hans was such an outstanding example; to be caught up in a cause in the service of others. Hans loved his neighbours in the best way that love can be expressed; by helping them in every way that he could. He has earned our eternal memory and gratitude.”

Franz Blumenfeld Peace Fund

In memory of Hans Blumenfeld, members may wish to consider contributing to the Franz Blumenfeld Peace Fund, mentioned above. The Fund consists of an endowment, the interest on which supports projects in peace education and research; the present value of the endowment is just over $40,000.

Donations to the Fund are tax-deductible. Cheques should be addressed to Science for Peace, with an accompanying letter stating that the donation is intended for the Blumenfeld Fund. Enquiries should be directed to Professor Christian Bay at Science for Peace, University College, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 1A1.