Dr. Klaus-Peter HUBER

HUBER, Dr. Klaus-Peter
December 3, 1934 – October 1, 2014
Very unexpectedly in Assisi, Italy, while on vacation, touring Tuscany and Umbria. Beloved husband and best friend of Carol (nee Saunderson) for 48 years. Dear brother of Mariann Geiger-Huber (Faulensee, Switzerland) and Elisabeth (Rolf) Bühler-Huber (Zürich, Switzerland). Dear son of the late Dr. Paul Huber and the late Elsa Huber- Althaus (Langenthal, Switzerland). Brother-in-law of Hugh (Val) Saunderson (Ottawa). His funeral took place in his beloved Switzerland.
Klaus attended school in Langenthal and then the Humanistisches Gymnasium (high school) in Basel, and went on to study physics at the University of Basel. He chose molecular spectroscopy for his Ph.D. thesis topic under the guidance of Prof. Ernst Miescher. While at high school and university, Klaus also developed his skill as a cellist, taking lessons with August Wenzinger, the foremost cellist in Basel at the time. After his move to Ottawa, Klaus continued to play his cello with a number of chamber-music groups.
As military service was compulsory for Swiss males, Klaus served in the army (artillery) up to the rank of lieutenant; he went through basic training and officer schools during the university vacations, and considered it a good experience.
In 1963 Klaus became a post-doctoral fellow at the National Research Council in Ottawa in the Pure Physics Division. Two years later, he joined the permanent staff in the spectroscopy section at NRC and took on the daunting task of writing the fourth volume of the monumental series of books on Molecular Spectra and Molecular Structure. The first three volumes had been written by his new supervisor, Gerhard Herzberg, a later Nobel Laureate. It took Klaus and Herzberg 14 years to complete this Magnum Opus, which remains today the cornerstone of electronic databases on molecular structure and spectra. Klaus retired officially from NRC in 2005, but continued going in as a guest worker for six more years. He was admired globally for the quality of his research and of his scientific publications; however he was a modest and generous person.
Klaus and Carol enjoyed travelling, visiting Switzerland, France, Italy, Japan, Greece, New Zealand, Australia and the USA. Sometimes this travel was connected with scientific collaborations, of which he had many, especially in France, Japan, and the US. Reflecting his interest in spectroscopic research with astrophysical implications, some of his collaborators were at observatories.
Klaus enjoyed skiing, hiking, gardening, attending symphony concerts and art exhibitions, and was a talented chef, delighting family and friends with his culinary creations.
He also served on the Board of the Cooperative Housing Corporation where they lived, as Treasurer and as Director of Maintenance. It is suggested that if people wish to honour Klaus, a contribution could be made to Médecins sans Frontières (MSF).