Stephen Hawking

"Although I cannot move and I have to speak through a computer, in my mind I am free." These are the words of Stephen Hawking, who was diagnosed with ALS (Leu Gehrig's Disease - a crippling disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord) when he was in college. Some people may know him as the guy in the wheelchair and others may know him for his amazing work with black holes and the universe. While he was in Oxford he was told that he would be dead within two years. Miraculously he did not die and is still alive today almost 49 years after his diagnosis! Now he has managed to live up to the age of 62 and he is still doing what he loves. He shows great ambition in whatever he works on. His life's work includes books like, The Large Scale Structure of Space-Time, 1973, Theoretical Advances in General Relativity: Some Strangeness in the Proportion, and many more. Hawking grew up in Oxford, England and he was born on January 8th, 1942. I have chosen him as a hero because I believe that he possesses traits like determination, intelligence, and humbleness. Those are three things that I think define a great man.

Hawking has never given up on anything and has persevered through many obstacles in his lifetime. "During his first two years at Cambridge, Hawking's symptoms became more pronounced, but he was also progressing in his work. "By the time he was ready to present his dissertation, Hawking had the beginnings of an idea that would change the field of astrophysics. In addition to numerous professional writings, Hawking has published two popular books: "A Brief History of Time" (1988) and "Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays" (1993). He is a member of the prestigious Royal Society, a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences, has twelve honorary degrees, and was made a Companion of Honour in Britain in 1989. Hawking has held the post of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University since 1979. He and his wife, Jane Wilde Hawking, have three children and one grandchild. The couple separated in 1991, and Hawking married his nurse in 1995. As a result of his ALS, Hawking no longer has the use of his voice. Though he must rely on a computerized voice system and a wheelchair, Hawking continues to travel the world giving lectures. He is also actively pursuing his research at Cambridge and mentoring a group of graduate students."(Witherbee). I think that this is a great example of Hawking's perseverance, he has no legs and no voice and he still doesn't give up.. Many people do not get a chance to do as much or be as well known as Stephen Hawking even though he has ALS. Hawking's philosophy is, "If you are disabled physically, you cannot afford to be disabled psychologically"(Stephen W. Hawking). Stephen has a great outlook on life. He would never let anything get the best of him, and that is one reason why he is heroic.

I'm sure that you already know that Hawking's claim to fame is his intelligence. He discovered what goes on in a black hole and bridged the gap between physics and quantum mechanics. "Using the principles of quantum theory, Hawking argued that at when a collapsing star reaches a certain density, light, energy, and mass operate as suggested by quantum theory. Moreover, he argued that the universe itself is a black hole that under the principles of quantum theory had exploded outward, and would, under the principles of Einstein's theory of relativity, collapse into a black hole again. This meant that there was one black hole singularity visible to us: the one at the heart of the universe. It also meant that other universes could and likely do exist, created from any size mass that is brought under enough pressure to create the requisite density. Subsequent observations have seemed to support Hawking's ideas, and many, if not all, of his colleagues accept these ideas."(Witherbee). This is a theory proposed by Hawking. It states that the entire universe is a black hole, something deemed preposterous before Hawking brought it to the table. Hawking attended Oxford during college and he described school as being like this, "At Oxford, you were supposed to be brilliant without effort or to accept your limitations and get a fourth-class degree. To work hard to get a better class of degree was regarded as the mark of a gray man, the worst epithet in the Oxford vocabulary." This was the attitude of everyone at Oxford and you can see how it rubbed off on Stephen Hawking, for he is definitely not a gray man, in fact he is one of the most intelligent men in the world.

Even though he has had amazing success in life Hawking has remained humble, even with all his amazing achievements. Many people expect Hawking to be extremely challenged in his work because of ALS, but Hawking tells them that, "I would like to be thought of as a scientist who just happens to be disabled, rather than as a disabled scientist."(Stephen W. Hawking). Even if Hawking faced challenges in his work because of ALS he would remain humble and never admit it, and I think that is great.

Stephen Hawking is an amazing human being who has persevered through all of the obstacles in his life. He is one of the most intelligent people in the world along as one of the most humble. Even though he has ALS he has managed to accomplish so much. He teaches that when people tell you something is impossible you should show them wrong. Stephen Hawking is a truly inspirational man.

Works Cited Keith, Murphy B., comp. Cyclopedia of World Authors, Fourth Revised Edition. N.p.: n.p., n.d. EBSCO Biography Reference Center. Web. 7 Mar. 2013. Stephen Hawking. EBSCO Biography Reference Center. Web. 7 Mar. 2013. Stephen W. Hawking. EBSCO Biography Reference Center. Web. 7 Mar. 2013. . Witherbee, Amy. "Stephen Hawking." Stephen Hawking: n. pag. EBSCO Biography Reference Center. Web. 5 Mar. 2013.