Kindly shared with us by Prof. Gerard de Zeeuw
On September 15, the Board of the Systeemgroep Nederland sent the following letter to Felix’s family and friends and to his carer (translated from the Dutch):
Dear relatives and friends of Felix Geyer,
Dear Mrs Ria Meul,
It is with deep regret that we learned of the death of Dr. Felix Geyer on August 23, 2020. He was a highly regarded colleague and a good friend.
His contributions as a colleague include serving as one of the founding fathers of the Systeemgroep Nederland. He was one of the first in the Netherlands to understand the importance of system theory for sociology and subsequently worked hard to develop its implications. He introduced the now generally accepted term for this development, namely sociocybernetics.
He has also worked hard to pass on that theory to others. We recall the many conferences he helped organise, together with colleague Prof. Hans van der Zouwen. His contributions also include various courses on system theory that were presented in the first years of the existence of the Systeemgroep Nederland.
Finally, we would like to recall what made Felix such a highly appreciated colleague. He was always ready to explain matters or contribute to discussions with great humour and respect for others. This often happened during a meal and while enjoying a drink. Felix combined conviviality with sharp analyses, a sense of proportion and well-founded advice.
In recent years, Felix gradually withdrew from public activities. We missed him very much and we will in the future.
On behalf of the System Group Netherlands,
The Board
Prof. Loet Leydesdorff
Drs. Martha Vahl
Prof. Gerard de Zeeuw