It is with sadness that we learned of the passing of Peter de Jonge on May 5, 2026, at the age of 90. Peter de Jonge served as director of IRAM from early 1980 to 1990. He joined IRAM in 1980 after working at ESO in Chile, where he had been actively involved in the development of the La Silla site. His tenure at IRAM spanned the crucial period of the construction of the IRAM observatories at Pico Veleta in Spain (30-meter telescope) and on the Plateau de Bure in France (PdBI, initially with three antennas), as well as the IRAM headquarters in Grenoble. Together with his management colleagues, he assembled an outstanding team of scientists, engineers, and technicians who had a lasting impact on the evolution of IRAM well beyond his time in office. As director of IRAM, he also played a major role in launching and supporting IRAM’s activities aimed at developing and building the SEST telescope at La Silla, Chile. After his tenure as director of IRAM, Peter de Jonge returned to ESO in Chile to prepare the Paranal site for the installation of the VLT. A connoisseur of wine, he later became the owner and operator of a vineyard in Chile before returning to settle in France in his later years. Our condolences go out to his family and loved ones.

Karl Schuster

IRAM