Giuseppe Fidecaro (1926 – 2024)

We are saddened to learn that experimental physicist Giuseppe Fidecaro, who joined CERN in 1956, died on 28 March. He was 97 years old. Giuseppe was a familiar face to the CERN community, often seen arms linked with his wife Maria as the pair made their way through the CERN corridors. He was also known to CERN visitors, featuring prominently in the Synchrocyclotron exhibition’s film. Maria Fidecaro passed away in September 2023.    

Born in Messina, Italy in 1926, Giuseppe graduated in physics from the University of Rome in 1947 under the supervision of Edoardo Amaldi. He came to CERN with Maria in the summer of 1956 and was assigned to the Synchrocyclotron. There, he established a group and prepared equipment for experiments that in 1958 enabled a successful search for pions decaying into an electron and a neutrino – a process which gave experimental ground to the universal Fermi interaction.

In 1975, Giuseppe was appointed co-chair of a joint scientific committee set up under the terms of the collaboration agreement between CERN and the former USSR for the utilization of atomic energy, a responsibility he held until 1986. He was also tasked with coordinating cooperation with the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna.

Giuseppe officially retired in 1991 but, together with Maria, he continued his work at CERN as an honorary member of the personnel until as recently as 2020.

A funeral service will be held at the Italian Catholic Mission of Geneva on Friday 5 April at 10:00 a.m.

A full obituary will appear in the CERN Courier.