Hendrik Gerritsen

GERRITSEN, Hendrik Passed away peacefully in his Providence, R.I. home on November 10, 2010. Dr. Gerritsen joined the faculty at Brown University in 1967 as a tenured Professor of Physics. Over the thirteen years following his retirement, he continued teaching and performing research as a Professor Emeritus and Professor of Research. He was a student at the University of Leiden (Netherlands), earning his A.B. in Physics and Chemistry in 1948 and his Ph.D. in Physics Summa Cum Laude in 1955. He started his professional career at RCA Research Labs in Zurich Switzerland and in Princeton, N.J. performing research and writing patents related to lasers, masers, holographic storage and electrostatic photography. Very notably, he wrote a patent describing embossing of holograms, which is now applied to enhance the security of credit cards. While a Brown professor, Dr. Gerritsen performed research in optics, laser physics, and semi-conductor physics, authoring nearly 100 papers and mentoring many graduate and undergraduate students in research. He shared his interests in astronomy with the general public by speaking at and overseeing many open nights at the Ladd Observatory. He also served as a consultant for a number of companies including Hasbro, Polaroid, Honeywell, the Gas Research Institute and Exxon and wrote many more patents, including one on a novel type of star and constellation viewer. He was a member of many societies including the American Optical Society, Sigma Xi, the Federation of American Scientists, and the Union of Concerned Scientists. Dr. Gerritsen also addressed a number of humanitarian issues including arms control and civil rights, throughout his career. He founded the local chapter of Amnesty International, and belonged to the American Civil Liberties Union. He is survived by his sons, Steven Gerritsen and Leon Gerritsen, and step-daughter, Claudia Robertson. A memorial service will be held at a later date.