Heinz Langer, my Friend and Colleague Recollections. After Dinner Speech

Abstract

Dear Heinz, Dear Colleagues, Dear Guests, Today we celebrate the retirement of Heinz. All his friends and colleagues are happy and in a cheerful mood. Is there a good reason for this? It is not clear. In general what is retirement? We are used to a scientific approach, so I looked for the answer in the Oxford Advanced Dictionary of Current English (New Edition). There I found RETIRE and listed what it means:

• 1. retire from to withdraw; go away;

• 2. retire to bed;

• 3. retire, of an army, go back; retire to prepared positions;

• 4. retire give up ones work, position, business, etc;

• 5. to retire the head clerk;

• 6. retire from the world enter a monastery or become a hermit, become a recluse;

• 7. retire into oneself become unsociable because one is wrapped up in ones thoughts.