AJR110

An Joint Resolution designating January 8 each year as “Stephen Hawking Remembrance Day” in New Jersey.

Whereas, The State of New Jersey celebrates the life and achievements of Dr. Stephen W. Hawking; and

Whereas, As a young man, Stephen Hawking applied his intellectual abilities at Oxford University and later at Cambridge University, during which time he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease, later discovered to be amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which would restrict his physical abilities; and

Whereas, Stephen Hawking overcame depression after his diagnosis and continued with his studies to obtain a PhD in applied mathematics and theoretical physics from Cambridge; and

Whereas, In the search of new scientific truths, Dr. Hawking’s scholarship built upon the work of Albert Einstein and others to create new human understanding of the early universe, general relativity, quantum gravity, singularities, and black holes; and

Whereas, Dr. Hawking made significant contributions to human understanding, theorized about the emission of Hawking radiation from black holes, and received many academic, scientific, and humanitarian honors for those contributions; and

Whereas, Dr. Hawking’s theories inspired many to strive to develop a grand unified theory, that synthesizes particle physics with our understanding of space and time on a cosmic scale; and

Whereas, Dr. Hawking coped with the symptoms of ALS while making his many contributions to scientific knowledge; and

Whereas, Dr. Hawking’s brilliance, brashness, wit, and his public ownership of his ALS allowed him to become one of the world’s most identifiable and relatable public intellectuals; and

Whereas, Dr. Hawking, a man who explored the cosmos from a wheelchair and communicated through a synthesized voice, serves as a symbol of the vast contributions that an individual can make to our society, despite and perhaps because of one’s disability; and

Whereas, Dr. Hawking has been widely recognized for his profound contributions to science and disability rights and for making science accessible to the public; and

Whereas, During his life, Dr. Hawking made scientific thought about the universe and the formation of life accessible to billions of people, offered warnings about climate change, nuclear war, and the continued development of artificial intelligence, and espoused hope for the ability of the human species to continue to evolve through the sharing of information, the development of science, and the colonization of other worlds; and

Whereas, Dr. Hawking’s proposals that the “boundary condition” of the universe is that it has no boundary and that scientists can discover truths about reality unimaginably distant from our point in space and time, led him to the conclusion that the most fulfilling human life is spent exploring the limits of the universe by expanding the limits of our own minds, as reflected in his own personal motto that “there are no boundaries;” now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. January 8 of each year is designated as “Stephen Hawking Remembrance Day” in the State of New Jersey, to memorialize the life and achievements of Dr. Stephen W. Hawking, whose life, achievements in science, and work in communicating scientific concepts to the public serve as example to every individual that, regardless of physical condition, there are no boundaries to the human spirit, to what the human mind can achieve, or to what any one person can contribute to human development.

2. The Governor is requested to annually issue a proclamation calling upon public officials and citizens of this State to observe “Stephen Hawking Remembrance Day” with appropriate activities and programs.

3. This joint resolution shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This joint resolution designates January 8 of each year as designated as “Stephen Hawking Remembrance Day” in the State of New Jersey, to memorialize the life and achievements of Dr. Stephen W. Hawking.

Dr. Hawking built upon the work of Albert Einstein and others to deepen and create new human understanding of the early universe, general relativity, quantum gravity, singularities, and black holes. Stephen Hawking coped with an early adulthood diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and took public ownership of his ALS to become one of the world’s most identifiable and relatable public intellectuals. In his life, Dr. Hawking, a man who explored the history and future of the cosmos in a wheelchair and who communicated through a synthesized voice for much of his life, made profound contributions to science, to disability rights, and to making science accessible to the public. Dr. Hawking’s life and achievements serve as example to every individual that, regardless of physical condition, there are no boundaries to the human spirit, to what the human mind can achieve, or to what any one person can contribute to human development.

The joint resolution respectfully requests the Governor to issue an annual proclamation calling upon public officials and citizens of this State to observe the day with appropriate activities and programs.