With great sadness we have to inform that Brigadier General Marcel de Haan, Royal Netherlands Army Reserve (ret.) passed away on Sept 16th, aged 83.

Brigadier General de Haan was CIOMR Secretary General from 1983 to 1993 and took his official leave from CIOMR during the Berlin Congress 2000.

IN MEMORIAM

Brigadier General (ret.) Marcel C. DE HAAN

1925-2008

After completing his national service as Medical Officer with an Engineers unit, Marcel de Haan began his civilian medical career as a general physician in the city of Haarlem. Later on he became the medical director of “Diaconessenhuis” Hospital in Eindhoven, but throughout his life civilian and military medicine went hand in hand. He was a member of the Board of the Red Cross Society of the Netherlands and of the Integral Cancer Centre of Brabant Province; his final position as a reservist was Commanding Officer of 112 Doorvoer Hospitaal Bataljon.

In a time when the relationship between civilian and military medicine was less than ideal (the 60s and the 70s of the previous century) he worked tirelessly to improve that relationship. He, together with Colonel Hans Stevens (a former CIOMR President) , revitalized the Netherlands Medical Reserve Officers Association and through his considerable social skills convinced all parties involved that civilian and military medicine both could, and should, contribute to each other. In 1992 he was promoted Brigadier General (R); that promotion, extremely rare in the Netherlands, indubitably was in recognition of his efforts to bring military and civilian medicine together.

In 1976 he became a delegate in CIOMR; served as Assistant Secretary General/Treasurer from 1980 to1983 and from 1983 to 1993 as Secretary General. Strong-willed and with a “resounding voice” he guided CIOMR in an inimitable way; loyally serving 6 presidents: Thyregod, McKimmie, Postiglione, Denis, Pauchard and Wurster. In 2000 Brigadier General de Haan retired from CIOMR.

Marcel de Haan was a Renaissance man: physician, medical manager, soldier. But also an erudite: extremely well-read, bibliophile, historian, epicurist and connoisseur of wine. And most importantly: a loyal friend.