BIOGRAPHICAL MEMORANDA 



democratic community everybody should take part in matters of the 

 common weal to the full extent of his ability. This, by the way, was 

 also Mrs. Kluyver's stand; she too had always found time for social 

 work in addition to caring for a growing and developing family. 



When in 1955 Kluyver, at his own request, was retired as president 

 of the board of trustees of the secondary school, the Mayor of Delft 

 presented him with the honorary silver emblem of the city; this was 

 also intended as a posthumous appreciation of the considerable social 

 contributions of his wife who had recently died. With this homage the 

 city council gave a striking tribute to the civic-mindedness of both. 



Thus, at the end of the 'thirties', Kluyver led a life of harmony, rich 

 by virtue of a close contact with much that fascinated him in science 

 and society, both here and elsewhere. His fame had been established, 

 and his career had reached a summit. 



On May 25, 1939, the occasion of Kluyver's quarter-century doc- 

 torate, 'Chemisch Weekblad' published a special issue. His teacher, 

 Van Iterson; his colleague, Van Niel; and his pupil, Kingma Boltjes, 

 each from his own vantage point, contributed essays that served to 

 create an impressive balance of all that Kluyver had given during 

 these twenty-five years to science and to his pupils. Yet, rather than 

 presaging a continued assent, this commemoration turned out to be 

 a turning point. The war rumble could already be heard distinctly; 

 the 'good old days' were at an end. 



WAR AND OCCUPATION 



I 939- I 945 



Pupils from the 'twenties and early 'thirties remember that Kluyver's 

 vocabulary contained such favorite slogans as 'Never say die', 'Keep 

 smiling', 'Some day we'll know'; but during the last years before the 

 outbreak of the war another one came to the fore, the distinctly pes- 

 simistic 'This is a great and terrible world'. 



The unmistakable threat of what was to come depressed Kluyver 

 perhaps more than others; but as long as it was still possible, the work 

 was continued in the race against time. Kluyver was about to embark 

 for a trip to New York, where he was to participate in the third Inter- 

 national Congress for Microbiology, when the threat of war interfered ; 



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