When he was in Cambridge, where I am based, it was common to see him around. Not long ago I was at a conference on the rise of fundamentalisms, and he was 5m from me. I found it incredibly inspiring that he'd be there, obviously engaged and interested, despite his physical condition.
We've made a map of the stars commemorating him, in case anyone is interested. The high-res download is here:
There are many reasons to celebrate Stephen Hawking but the one I personally am most impressed by his ability overcome an ALS diagnosis in his college years and go on to live a life of such distinction. It takes some serious courage to soldier on after hearing you may only have two years to live and know that at best you will live a life of slow & debilitating physical deterioration. I'm not sure I could face a such a prospect, so many of the things I enjoy in life require full motor skills and then some. I'd like to think I could adapt and follow such a bold example provided by Stephen Hawking. His story is truly inspiring to me and I hope his story inspires others to do great things.
I read his book, and it seems like his wife should take most of the credit for his survival. Too bad she doesn't seem to get recognition for what she had to go through to help him.
”It is clear that he owed a great deal to his first wife, Jane Wilde, whom he married in 1965 […]. Jane was exceptionally supportive of him in many ways. One of the most important of these may well have been in allowing him to do things for himself to an unusual extent.”
Yeah, I've not delved deeply into the details of his life but that would make sense. Have to imagine she was there providing that day to day support and helped give him purpose.
We've made a map of the stars commemorating him, in case anyone is interested. The high-res download is here:
https://greaterskies.com/stephen-hawking-star-map/