Stephen Hawking and my dad

With the news today that Stephen Hawking, the great physist, has been hospitalized, I had an immediate recollection of my experience listening to Stephen Hawking speak.

I was a fairly nerdy young teen/girl... prone to fantasy and wild escapism. I think my dad, an engineer by both profession and personality, often wondered what to do with me and how we were to connect. My Christmas present from my dad one year, a special present just from him to me, was a pair of tickets to see Stephen Hawking downtown. I remember that the tickets were in an envelope on the tree rather than wrapped as a traditional present.

We went off to see the lecture, and it was so cool. I was there with my dad and he didn't know much about this topic (advanced physics and black holes) either. We were both learning something new. I was one of few women (and likely the only girl) in the audience. I remember being mesmerized by the talk, by Stephen Hawking's voice (computer synthesized) and the fact that he took questions and laboriously typed out answers during an intermission between the talk and the Q and A period. I remember an assistant changing the overhead transparencies he used to demonstrate different aspects (remember overhead transparencies!).

After the talk, we went to a diner with some of dad's friends and had pie and ice cream and talked. I remember these men talking with me as if I was a full member of the discussion, rather than a kid. It was so great taking part in this conversation and talking with this grown ups about this exciting talk. 

I didn't get much mileage out of this at school, attending a science talk not being a particularly "cool" thing to do. But I remember this fondly. I feel so fortunate to have had a dad so interested in spending special time with me.

I cherish these special times I was able to have with my dad. I hope that Stephen Hawking can safely recover and return to giving his great talks, writing his books, and inspiring new teens.