Ilga A. Daube-Kurzemniece

Latvia

1918-2021

Obituary:

Latvia and the world astronomical community has lost a dedicated astronomer, IAU Member, Latvian Scientist Emeritus Dr. Ilga Daube-Kurzemniece. She passed away at the age of 102 years.

She was born in October 6, 1918, in place which is currently Latvia, Limbaži municipality, Vidriži parish. Her maiden surname was Kurzemniece. Those were the final days of World War I, with Brest-Litovsk Treaty between Germany and Soviet Russia still in force, and with German military occupation in the whole territory of current Latvia. Latvia as a country was proclaimed on November 18, 1918, but Latvian War for Independence (until August 11, 1920) was necessary in order to implement this independence into real life. So, I.Daube-Kurzemniece was a little bit older than Latvia as an independent country.

I.Daube-Kurzemniece started to study astronomy at the University of Latvia, under the guidance of Latvian astronomer Staņislavs Vasiļevskis (he emigrated to Western Europe in 1944 escaping from the advancement of the Soviet Army and the eventual reestablishment of the Soviet regime, later becoming a famous astronomer at Lick Observatory, California, USA). I.Daube-Kurzemniece stayed in then Soviet occupied Latvia, and in 1946 she started to work at the newly established Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR. Russian astronomer Pavel Parenago was her next scientific supervisor; under his guidance, I.Daube-Kurzemniece defended her Thesis "Masses, spatial distribution and kinematics of spectral binary stars" at Moscow State University in 1953, becoming the first Latvian woman astronomer having the scientific degree (namely, Candidate of physical and mathematical sciences) basically equivalent to the Western PhD.

The Astrophysical Laboratory of the Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR was established in 1958, under the initial leadership by Jānis Ikaunieks; it was transformed into Radioastrophysical Observatory of the Academy of Sciences in 1967. I.Daube-Kurzemniece started to work there immediately. Her scientific papers were devoted to the proper motions of stars, stellar photometry (mostly that of evolved late type stars) and search for carbon stars. These studies substantially intensified since 1968 when the newly built 80 cm Schmidt telescope started its scientific operation at the Radioastrophysical Observatory in Baldone, Latvia. Until 1976, she personally participated in the night-time observations. Her papers were published in the journals "Saules un sarkano zvaigžņu pētījumi" ("Investigations of the Sun and Red Stars"), "Peremennye Zvezdy" ("Variable Stars") and "Astronomicheskii Tsirkulyar", all in Russian language. In Soviet times, it was really almost impossible for astronomer to publish anything in Western journals; it was a remarkable achievement to publish some paper in "Astronomicheskii Zhurnal" (I.Daube-Kurzemniece did it at least once in 1959, in co-autorship with Z.Alksne and L.Reiziņš). Her last paper devoted to the topics mentioned above was published in 1987.

At the same time, I.Daube-Kurzemniece has published a lot of popular science articles, mostly in the quarterly journal "Zvaigžņotā Debess" ("The Starry Sky"; she was Member of the Editorial Board during 1958 – 1979) and in the yearly edition "Astronomiskais Kalendārs" ("The Astronomical Calendar") , both in Latvian language. These articles were devoted to the news of astronomical science and space flights (e.g. about "Apollo 14"), and to history of astronomy. She continued these activities after retirement, and she received Jānis Ikaunieks Medal of Latvian Astronomical Association in 2003 for this.

I.Daube-Kurzemniece was accepted as IAU Member in 1961, and she participated at the XIIIth IAU General Assembly (Prague, Czechoslovakia, August 1967; see the photo) and at the IAU Extraordinary General Assembly in Warsaw, Poland, September 4, 1973. The Scientist Emeritus grant was awarded to I.Daube-Kurzemniece by the government of Latvia in 2006.

I.Daube-Kurzemniece was a very modest, sympathetic person. She was married with computer engineer Jānis Daube; this is the origin of her composite surname. It was a delight to conversate with Ilga. Virtually all people who knew her will remember her silent, clever type of expression. Let her rest in peace.

REFERENCE:

Image caption: Ilga Daube-Kurzemniece between Agris Kalnajs (from the left; USA / Israel / Australia, of Latvian origin) and Andrejs Alksnis (Latvia) at the XIIIth IAU General Assembly. Prague, Czechoslovakia, August 1967. Photo by Staņislavs Vasiļevskis (USA, of Latvian origin), from the private archive of I.Daube-Kurzemniece, published in "Zvaigžņotā Debess", 2007, spring edition, p. 86.