Obituary Albert Zündorf

"Sooooo" ... was the usual opening for a lecture by Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Albert Zündorf, the former head of the Software Engineering department at our faculty. With his easy-going and relaxed manner, he not only attracted many students to his lectures, but also created an environment in which every member of staff could develop freely in research and teaching. It is therefore no wonder that several start-ups emerged from the department, such as Yatta GmbH and Hahn Projects GmbH. Albert was also in close contact with local industry and business, which resulted in regular research projects. In addition to the doctoral students in his department, Albert supervised a further 15 doctoral students at the universities of applied sciences in Aachen, Dortmund and the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen. Regular meetings made it possible to put research and knowledge transfer into practice. Albert was not just a mentor, but rather a motivator, companion and, last but not least, a friend who stood by others with help and advice even in difficult times. We bid farewell to Albert Zündorf with deep sorrow and great gratitude for the time we spent together. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.

- Faculty 16 Electrical Engineering/Computer Science

"Yeeha" and "Chaka-Chaka", these exclamations have characterized the lectures in the last year.
Whenever something compiled live during the lecture and then worked as it should, it was accompanied by these exclamations.
In my third semester, I had my first course with you, "Introduction to Programming".
The very practical approach gave me the best introduction to programming.
You could almost immediately see on your own screen that you could draw Santa's house using simple commands.
This approach was steadily taken to higher levels in the subsequent courses and ultimately led me to become a student assistant with you.
The motivation and relaxed attitude you displayed is unique and you kept me motivated, whether over a meal or a beer.
Your new ideas were constantly discussed, tried out and pursued. Your drive for new things, whether in research or teaching, brought me so many of your beloved "learning opportunities".
In the end, we pursued one of these new ideas for my Bachelor's thesis, which even resulted in a paper.
As a result, I was able to go to a conference in Hamburg with you for a week.
I am incredibly happy that we were able to discuss and celebrate together during that week.
Many employees at the university can tell stories about you, for example, I don't know anyone else who took a whiteboard and a few markers and then gave a complete lecture in a streetcar, and I can only say thank you. Thank you for sparking my interest in software development with your way of teaching.
Thank you for accepting me first as a student assistant and then even as an employee in your department.
Thank you for always presenting me with new ideas and features during my Bachelor's thesis.
Thank you for being not only a supervisor, but also a motivator, supporter and friend.

- Maximilian Freiherr von Künßberg

We got to know Albert for the first time during our introductory days. After a mentor breakfast with a mentor who didn't show up himself but sent a member of staff ahead, our tutor said, exasperated, that we should go and see his professor.
After a room that looked more like a gloomy staff room, we walked through half the university and entered the lab in the Fg, a room in which God and the world were stacked on the edge. At the front stood Albert, presenting an asteroid (or something) clone. He was happy to talk about what was happening in his Fg, what was going on at university and much more.
To be honest, we didn't really understand any of it at the time. But that wasn't so bad, Albert's fun was simply infectious.
This attitude was probably what got us through our first semester at university. Between the math, theory and technology, the practical programming was the bright spot.
With a bit of hard work (and a lot of luck), we were able to start as student assistants after the 4th semester. Before our job here, we thought we didn't have as much knowledge as some others in our year, but the know-how of our colleagues showed us that we didn't even know how deep in the valley of ignorance we were actually stuck in. Having your own desk at the university really gave you a sense of belonging. Whether a lecture was annoying or the high temperatures made thinking impossible, the department offered a safe haven where you could not only work, but also find peace and a lot of fun. We also learned that when Albert came up to you and started a sentence with "You're the greatest, the best, the most beautiful, the cleverest. I've got an idea...", it was best to run far away to avoid having to implement this silly idea.
And in this little creative chaos, we eventually obtain our Bachelor's and later our Master's degrees. As newly minted employees and motivated doctoral students, we wanted to get started with Albert as our supervisor. But that was not to be. Albert went home to concentrate on his health and we made every effort to keep things running smoothly for him. Always with the thought that he would come back and feel as if he had never been away.
Albert's absence left a space in the field that formed the foundation for us all to develop in the manner he taught us. Albert's death pulled the rug out from under our feet. In the days that followed, there was a huge void in every room. One place remained empty and now forever. It took us a while to slowly pull ourselves up again. Every room here is full of memories. The department still breathes Albert's past existence. And as painful as this constant reminder can be, it is also the best thing. Every poster, every piece of paper and every post-it note tells a story of some kind. Sometimes funny, sometimes weird and some completely off the wall, but they all have one thing in common. The cheerful and smiling face of Albert, who was sometimes more, sometimes less to blame for the situation itself.
We owe Albert everything we have achieved in our adult lives. For the rest of our lives, he will be a role model for how we want to treat others, how we want to deal with our job and how we can sometimes be a little more relaxed about one problem or another. We were able to learn all this and much, much more from Albert.
Rest in peace.

- Clemens Emme & Natascha Nolte