In July 2010 we received the sad news that Caesar Kamieniecki had died after a long illness. Caesar was a long standing member of the Society, having joined in the early 1970's. His main interest was astronomy and it was during the first National Astronomy Week (NAW), in 1974 that he became a demonstrator at the Observatory. The 1974 NAW was organized to increase public awareness of astronomy and coincided with the apparition of the infamous Comet Kohoutek, promoted as 'the comet of the century' although it never materialized as more than a faint blob. Caesar lugged his own home made telescope up to the Observatory and helped to man the exhibition and show visitors interesting objects as well as the dim comet. At that time he was still living with his parents in Muswell Hill and I soon recruited him as a member of the recently formed Astronomy sub-Committee. He took the job of Minutes Secretary, a position which he held until his illness forced him to give it up just two months ago – that is 36 years of continuous service to the Society. All the while that he was living in north London, in Muswell Hill and then when he married Julie, in Edmonton, Caesar regularly demonstrated on public open nights at the Observatory. In recent years, having fathered two children, Alexander and Katarina, the family moved to Betchworth in Surrey. Despite the travelling distance he continued as a demonstrator, confining his duties to Sunday morning solar observations, commuting to and from Surrey on his motorbike. He was a great motorcycling enthusiast. He forged a career in IT troubleshooting, driving around the City on his motorbike, fixing computers for large corporations. It was during these excursions that he got the idea to do the 'knowledge', passing his test to become a licensed black cab driver. During the last few years, he supplemented his income with some part time cab driving. Whenever he was in north London, whether fixing computers or driving his taxi, he would telephone me and drop in for a cup of tea and a chat.
Caesar was a devoted family man, very proud of his children and he was prepared to work hard to ensure that they had a secure and comfortable life. He was an enthusiastic amateur astronomer and a faithful servant of the Society. During his 36 years membership, he would have introduced hundreds of people to the delights of the telescope and he will be sorely missed by his many friends all of whom convey their deepest sympathy to his wife Julie and his children Alexander and Katarina.
Doug Daniels (HSS President & Astro. Sec.)
The funeral will take place on Tuesday 27th July. Requiem Mass at 1:30 pm. at St.Josephs RC Church Dorking Surrey, followed by a short Cremation service at Randalls Park Crematorium, Leatherhead, Surrey and a reception at 3:30 at Burford Bridge Hotel Boxhill.
The family request NO FLOWERS, but donations to the following charities would be gratefully received made through: Sherlock and Sons Funeral Directors of Trellis House, South Street, Dorking, Surrey.
Last updated 22-Jul-2010