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Michiel Daniel Overbeek (1920-2001)
Born in 1920 and growing up in Ermelo in the Transvaal, Danie went to the University of the Witwatersrand to do a Mining and Metallurgy course in 1939 and 1940. After serving in the South African Air Force during the 2nd World War, and being mentioned in Dispatches in 1943 (Oak leaf on Africa Star), he joined the South African Airways and South African Railways where he spent his entire working life doing maintenance, training, civil engineering research and administration, retiring in 1980.
Danie's astronomical interest started at a very young age. When he was just 5 years old he once went to his parents in terror to report that "the stars are moving" but when, about 3 years later he heard his grandfather identify Mars, he was so intrigued at the fact that heavenly bodies have names that he started to read all the astronomy books he could lay his hands on. When he was about 15 he made his first telescope from a reading glass and a pocket microscope, moving on to spectacle lenses and then in 1937 he bought a commercial telescope for about $4.48! In 1951 he constructed a 6-inch Newtonian and started observing occultations and variable stars. This led in 1953 to the building of a 12.5-inch Dall-Kirkham Cassegrain reflector, which became his main astronomical observing tool for more than 47 years.
He married an old school girlfriend, Jean in 1945 and they brought up 4 children, 2 boys and 2 girls. In 1958 he obtained a BSc degree in astronomy from UNISA.
Danie received many honours for his astronomical achievements. He served as chairman of the Johannesburg in 1956 and president of ASSA in 1961 and 1999 - a rare feat for someone to be elected president more than once. He was elected an honorary life member of both ASSA and the Johannesburg centre. In 1984 he received the highest honour from the ASSA when he was awarded the Gill medal. In 1986 he received a merit award from the AAVSO and in 1994 received the Director's award and a prolific observer's merit award from AAVSO. The Astronomical Society of the Pacific presented him with their Amateur Achievement Award in 1996. The Minor Planet Centre announced in November 2000 that minor planet 5038 had been named "Overbeek" in his honour.
Danie was the first amateur astronomer to detect the effects of a Gamma Ray Burst , with a SID/SES receiver that he had constructed. He also built a seismograph in 1990 and monitored the Earth's activity on a continuous bases.
Danie's contribution to astronomy in South Africa was enormous. He was mentor and friend to all who wanted to do serious astronomical observing and encouraged observers in all corners of the country. He contributed over 250,000 variable star observations to the AAVSO over a period of nearly 50 years and was one of their key observers in the Southern hemisphere when critical data was required for scheduling satellite observing time.
The passing of Danie Overbeek has signaled the end of an era, and he will be missed by all who knew him.
B.F.
