Visiting Junge at the Bodenzee
I had the good fortune to know Christian E. Junge for nearly
twenty-five years. I first met him in the early 1970s when I had a postodoctoral
position at the University of Gent, Belgium. In 1975 and 1976, I was able to
spend eight months in his Max Planck Institute of Atmospheric Chemistry in
Mainz. He retired not long after that, and I saw him only occasionally for the
next two decades.
Junge was for all intents and purposes the founder of modern
atmospheric chemistry. He made such an impression on me because he was one of
the few great men I have known who was just as great up close as from a
distance. I will remain inspired by him forever.
I got a chance to see him one last time in June 1995, during
a monthlong visit to Prof. Ruprecht Jaenicke and the Institute of Atmospheric
Physics at the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz. Lothar Schütz, with whom I
worked most closely during that visit, arranged for us to visit Junge and his
wife at their home in Überlingen, on the north side of the Bodenzee. We spent a
wonderful Sunday afternoon there. Of course, I did not know that I would not see
him again, but his frail condition certainly made it a possibility. Here are
some photos from that day.
The western end of the Bodenzee as seen from the Junges' balcony.
Their dining room and study.
Lothar Schütz talking with Frau Junge while her husband is reading something. As soon as Junge retired, he delved into history and never looked back. That afternoon he also told us of his studies of human nature, and in particular the characteristic that most differentiates man from all other animals.
Another view of the Junges' living room.
Lothar and Christian Junge on the balcony. Junge's expression is entirely typical of him.
A better view of the balcony and the two atmospheric chemists.
Prof. Junge and yours truly.