Hans Kobrak

1927 - 2015

Dr. Hans Kobrak, Adjunct Professor Emeritus in Physics at the University of California, San Diego, died of natural causes on February 4, 2015. Hans was born on January 27, 1927, in Danzig, Germany. During National Socialism, his family, facing persecution, immigrated to Argentina. In Buenos Aires, Hans quickly learned Spanish, as well as Italian, while speaking German at home and English at school. He received Masters degrees in Chemistry and Physics from the University of Buenos Aires, then immigrated to the United States to study high energy physics at the University of Chicago.
In 1957, Hans married another international graduate student, Mariette de Vroet, of Oud Beijerland, the Netherlands, who survives him. He is also survived by son, Peter (Fabienne); grandsons, Gregory, Thomas and Paul; sisters, Anna and Mary; and brothers, Fred and Clem.
In 1961, Hans received his PhD in Physics from the University of Chicago, and moved west to Pasadena, California, to accept a position at California Institute of Technology. His career brought him to UCSD in 1967, where he remained active on the faculty until 1997. Hans spent much of his career pursuing basic research in experimental particle physics at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois. His passions included hiking in the Eastern Sierras and traveling throughout the world. In later years, Hans was a regular presence at the outdoor tables at the Girard Gourmet in La Jolla.