LtE in CMO #253

From Jeffery BEISH


@. . . . . . From: Jeff Beish

To: cmo@mars.dti.ne.jp

Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2001 5:17 AM

 

Murakami, Masami,

 Would you please tell me about Osawa, Toshihiko?  The ALPO Journal has been returned from his former address of:

 

Tsutsumi Hospital,

Yamada, Okagaki-Cho, Omga-Gun, Fukuoka

 

 The ALPO Secretary would like to send his Journals to him. I told him that Osawa was getting older and may have passed away. I have not heard from Osawa in many years.

 

Thanks you,

 

(Note by the CMO): The following was our reply:

 

Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2001 10:40:35 +0900

From: "Murakami" <cmo@mars.dti.ne.jp>

To: "Jeff Beish" <jeffbeish@htn.net>

Cc: "Whitby, Sam" <whitbyu@erols.com>,

    "MINAMI, Masatsugu" <VZV03210@nifty.ne.jp>,

    "McKim, Richard" <RMckim5374@aol.com>, "HASS, W" <haasw@zianet.com>

Subject: Re:

 

Dear Jeff Beish,

 

     I am sorry I am late in replying to your enquiry about Mr. Toshihiko OSAWA (just because I was busy).

    We are sorry to inform you that Mr. OSAWA passed away this year in March. He was about 63 of age.

 About his death, not much information was given, because he died alone in a mental hospital, and he had no blood relations. As I heard from our Director M. MINAMI, the hospital does not say much about his death because of legal obligation to keep personal secrets. So his death is also mysterious to us. I hear his belongings are kept by a lawyer.

    I suppose you have heard that Mr. OSAWA stayed long in a hospital. Once (about 15 years ago!) Dr. Jean DRAGESCO gave an enquiry from France to Dr. MINAMI about Mr. OSAWA, and the following is from the reply from MINAMI to DRAGESCO at that time:

---------------------------------------------------

. . . . .M. Tsuneo Saheki m'a fait savoir: d'après lui, M. Osawa est hospitalisé dans une maison de santé. M. Saheki imagine qu'il a été interne par la police et qu'il ne pourrait pas tout de suite sortir de l'hôpital.

 Cependant d'après M. Asada, un des membres editeurs de les Communications in Mars Observations, ce que M. Osawa écrit dans ses letters est normal, mais l'écriture est plus petite et plus en désordre qu'avant. M. Saheki m'a dit que sa maladie n'est pas survenue tout d'un coup mais était prévisible; des symptômes legers sont apparus chez lui depuis sa jeunesse. Je ne m'inquiète pas tellement pour lui; car il a observé la planète Mars vingtaine fois sur a terrasse de l'hôpital en 1986. J'espère bien qu'il guérira. (written by M. MINAMI on 8 October 1987 to Prof. J. DRAGESCO).

----------------------------------------------------

This passage was also repeated again by our Mars Section to reply an enquiry from Dr R. McKIM, Director, the BAA Mars Section, in 1991.

 Contrary to SAHEKI's assertion, OSAWA had fortunately a chance of recovery around 1994 and was allowed to travel away from hospital several days, once or twice. He so was able to attend an OAA Annual Meeting held at Fukui that year, where we met him last, and he could also observe the collision of P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 on the planet Jupiter.

 However, we heard he was not well recent years. We sent our CMO every month up until March this year, but we are not certain whether he was able to read/understand them. As far as we remember, he wrote to us and we replied last in 1998.

    It is well known among us that OSAWA was a superb observer when he was young, and at those times he was much encouraged by Dr. W. HAAS. As to this, OSAWA repeatedly wrote and was very thankful to the mentor. OSAWA's fine piece of article in the JALPO around in 1969 (translated by him into Japanese in the Heavens) was impressive.

     Thank you for your concern, and I hope you will send our regards to the ALPO Secretary.

 

With appreciation,

Sincerely

 

Masami MURAKAMI

 

Secretary, the OAA Mars Section

and Web Editor of the CMO


Jeff BEISH  (Lake Placid, FL, USA)

 jeffbeish@htn.net


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