Alwyn Van der Merwe

As a young man, Alwyn van der Merwe graduated at the top of his class every year throughout his high school and university studies.

He also received an academic gold medal from the South African government for his performance in the subject of history, an honor given out only once a year.

He taught for the remainder of his career at DU, where he conducted research in statistical thermodynamics, intermolecular forces, relativity and foundations of physics.

Professors van der Merwe and Asım Barut were the first referees selecting papers for Foundations of Physics, which started as a quarterly journal.

However, Yourgrau occasionally stepped in and accepted papers that van der Merwe and Barut believed were not up to the standards of the journal, leading to internal conflict and threats of lawsuits.

While his brother, Johannes (Jan) Hermanus, was on sabbatical leave in 1968 and staying in Denver with Alwyn, they completed two papers on the dispersion forces between axially symmetric molecules (see publications 6 and 7 in Curriculum Vitae).

Sadly, Jan van der Merwe suffered a heart attack and tragically died at the age of 54, leaving his further works in nuclear physics unfinished for Professor Dr. Rikus Saayman and Alwyn to complete (see publication 12).

In 1982, with the strong encouragement of his wife, Alwyn van der Merwe initiated the highly acclaimed book series Fundamental Theories of Physics.

The publisher cited the new editor's Nobel Prize as the reason for taking Foundations of Physics away, but Alwyn always believed it was because of a series of controversial papers he had included in the journal.

Characteristically, he developed what became a very popular health class focused on the dangers of X-rays (emitted by medical equipment, microwave ovens, TVs, etc.

Personal History Alwyn was born on a farm close to Citrusdal, a small town in the Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa, in November 1927.

That way, Felix had good answers ready for whatever questions were asked on the exam, such as describing a day at home or a trip to the farm.

Baffled, Alwyn applied to his wife what he was teaching in his health class, namely avoiding radiation exposure, and he decided it was time to change doctors.

The couple was attracted to Dr. Bradley because he avoided prescribing drugs and encouraged fathers to actively take part and care for the expectant mothers, including staying in the delivery room.

Alwyn's daughters, Anita and Britta, were born with their father helping Inga in the delivery room through easy childbirths—with Dr. Bradley present at the last minute.

In addition, he wrote numerous recommendation letters for his students, colleagues and friends who requested his help getting grants, work and awards.

He wanted his family to only travel first class for the long flights, so his wife would collect millions of frequent flyer miles to fund the trips.