Farewell to an icon: former editor-in-chief Filip van Brabander passed away

At the beginning of November, Filip van Brabander, one of the founding fathers by Eos, which saw the light of day in October 1983. Filip was the first editor-in-chief and succeeded editor-in-chief Jef Anthierens in 1990, when he retired. He led our science editorial team until 2005, after which he started working as a freelancer.

Filip was a thoroughbred science journalist, with a particularly keen interest in the rapid developments of what was then called ICT. The personal computer was introduced in the 1980s, and in its wake a flood of gadgets came onto the market, large and small devices that Filip tested with the joy of an open-minded child. He also immediately saw the great possibilities of the early internet and knew how to use the new media quickly and efficiently for his editorial staff. Amazement remained his motivation. “Everything is science,” was one of his slogans.

Filip was also obsessed with language, with a preference for Dutch from above the Moerdijk. under his leadership Eos his first steps on the Dutch market. He attracted renowned science journalists such as Chriet Titulaer – pronounced consistently and correctly by Filip as ‘Kriet’ –, Piet Smolders, Teake Zuidema and Govert Schilling. The last two are still prescriptive Eos. ‘If you want to make complex scientific topics accessible to a wide audience, it is best to use clear and correct language, without jargon’, was his motto. A lesson that the current team never loses sight of.

But above all, Filip was a warm man, who interacted amicably with both his regular editors and the many freelance employees. He was a bon vivant who enjoyed life to the fullest. He made each of our birthdays a party and often took the whole team to the pub on Friday evenings to end the week.

In recent years, Filip has mainly written short messages about his field – psychological and pedagogical sciences – and translated articles from Scientific American. The early readers, the past and present editors, and the many freelancers will miss him. Eos was in good hands with Filip, he leaves a beautiful legacy.

The whole team of Eos wishes the entire family, especially Katrien, Charlotte and Camille, a lot of strength.