Dear Delegates
We have come to the end of our conference. These few days were ones of hard work for the team and me. There were many problems, but we hope that what you will carry away with you in your minds and hearts, are the smiles, the joie de vivre and the warmth with which you were received in Recife.
How we wish that this could be only a moment of great happiness! But unfortunately, life presents us with roads that we would otherwise not wish to choose to go down. This is exactly what has just happened. It is with the deepest regret that we announce the death last night of Professor Anamaria
de Moraes, from a cause that has not yet been determined.
Just yesterday many of you were with Anamaria in various sessions of this congress. I was in a session which was chaired by Anamaria to attend a paper presented by a student of mine. It was the first paper that my student had presented at a conference and it was clear that she, like all first-timers, was highly nervous and unsure of herself. It strongly reminded me of, when in 1991, at the IEA Congress in Paris, still under the supervision of Professor Anamaria, I presented a paper for the first time at an international congress. I also experienced that sensation of trembling all over that first-timers get. But she was at my side and giving me all the support I needed.
Anamaria had a special quality that few teachers I have ever known have. She oozed the true sense of what is to be an expert and the satisfaction she derived from sharing her knowledge. While under her supervision, I witnessed what a large number of the students she supervised went to her home for guidance, at that time, having the largest library on Ergonomics in Brazil. It was evident what immense pleasure and satisfaction she felt at seeing her house full of people, discussing and immersing themselves deeply in Ergonomics. I also bore witness to her unparalleled generosity in opening the doors of her home to needy students from other states who came to do research in her home and stayed for days on end and for which it never entered her mind to charge a penny. This
generosity, in my opinion, was one of the main qualities of the magnanimous human being we knew as Professor Anamaria de Moraes.
Anamaria was a tenured professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. She was founder and a one-time president of the Brazilian Ergonomics Association, took part in several IEA Congresses and was the first Fellow of IEA in Latin America.
Anamaria’s greatest passion was Ergonomics. She once told me that she would die happy if she were to do so at a Congress on Ergonomics. I never thought she would take this so seriously.
Anamaria will remain in the memories of all who do Ergonomics in Brazil. Her post as the greatest ergonomist in our country will never be filled.
Rest in peace, dear friend.
Marcelo Soares