IHEU regrets to report that Jeanette Klein-von Baumhauer, better known to IHEU as Nettie Klein, died on 29 June 2008 in Amsterdam. Nettie Klein was born in 1927 and had her first contact with international Humanism at the 1962 Oslo Congress. In 1966 she became Honorary (that is, volunteer) Organizing Secretary of IHEU, and from 1982 to 1996 she was General Secretary. In the 1990s she wrote 'Nettie's Column' in International Humanist News. In 1996, at the Mexico City Congress, Nettie Klein was presented with the International Humanist Award, for her long-standing merits for IHEU. Examples of her writing and other work are available on our web site.

James Hemming had been a member of the British Humanist Association (BHA) since its formation in 1963 and gave many years of dedicated service to the Association on its executive committee, as its President and – until his death – as a Vice President. For thirty years, from the 1960s until the 1990s, he played a major role in the BHA’s Education Committee.

One after the other, star after star, they fall, and leave the Humanist sky dimmer.

Sib Narayan Ray died on 26 February 2008 in Santiniketan, India at the age of 85. He served on the executive committee of IHEU from 1952 to 1962.

In May 2007, Dr. Mohammed Al-Bahadli was killed in Baghdad by an explosion.

Dr Al-Bahadli was a very active and brave Humanist whose dream was to grow Humanism in Iraq. His loss is a tragedy for Iraq and the Humanist movement.

Born in 1956, he did his medical training at Basra University.

During his career, he studied autism and worked with autistic children.

We were saddened to hear of the death of Rabbi Sherwin Wine, founder of the Society for Humanistic Judaism, killed in a car crash in Morocco on 21 July 2007.

Rabbi Sherwin Wine, 79, was born in Detroit in 1928, graduated from the University of Michigan and the Hebrew Union College. In 1963 he founded The Birmingham Temple, the first congregation of Humanistic Judaism.

IHEU member organization the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) has expressed its sorrow at the death of one of its vice-presidents, George Melly. George was an early hero of the gay rights movement with his openness about his own ambiguous sexuality, told with such humour and affection in his autobiography "Rum, Bum and Concertina." He was also a long-time supporter of secularist causes, not only as a vice president of GALHA but also an honorary associate of the National Secular Society.

IHEU deeply regrets to announce that Prof Alexandre Marius Dées de Stério died in a train accident in France on 11 October 2006.

Marius Dées de Stério began his long association with IHEU many years ago as a member of IHEYO. He served as the IHEU Main Representative at the Council of Europe for over 20 years, was Rapporteur of the NGO Liaison Committee at the Council of Europe and spoke on numerous occasions in the Council on Human Rights and on other issues. He was a recipient of the prestigious Pro-Merito Award of the Council of Europe for publicizing its work in the media. He was President of the Union Radical-Humaniste Luxembourgeoise.

In 2005, at the Paris World Humanist Congress, he received the IHEU Distinguished Humanist Award in recognition of his tireless work for international Humanism.

We offer our deepest condolences to his wife and family.

Vern Bullough, former co-chairman of IHEU, died on Wednesday 21st June. His death was announced by Paul Kurtz, founder and chairman of the Center for Inquiry and Council for Secular Humanism.

PIET THOENES:

in memoriam

Pier Thoenes, who has died recently, was a popular and important co.chairman of the IHEU 1975-1978}. He had a distinguished academic career as a social scientist, writing over 40 books and articles.