Dr. Hawking was a British theoretical physicist and cosmologist, and Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University. He was a leader in the study of some of the most fundamental problems in physics and astronomy, notably the nature of gravity, its relation to the other forces and to quantum and particle physics, and its application to cosmology. One of his discoveries is that black holes should radiate as if they were hot bodies. Among Dr. Hawking's many honours was his election as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1974. Two of his books are "The Large Scale Structure of Spacetime" with George Ellis (1973) and "A Brief History of Time" (1988), the latter being one of the most popular science books of all time. His accomplishments are even more remarkable because they have been made despite the fact that he is seriously afflicted by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. His genius, in the face of adversity, is an inspiration to scientist and layman alike.