A lifelong friend of Bangladesh passes away

Father Richard William Timm, an internationally-acclaimed scientist and humanist, who served most of his life serving the people in Bangladesh, passed away in a hospital in the US state of Indiana at 1:20pm on September 11.

He was 97.

Father Timm, congregatio a sancta cruce (CSC­) ,was a legend in Bangladesh, an internationally renowned zoologist, discoverer of at least 250 nematodes, an educationist, a human development worker, a friend of Bangladesh, author of many books and publications, Magsaysay winner, and so on. Most importantly, he was a Catholic priest and a member of the Congregation of Holy Cross.

Rosaline Costa, a long-time colleague of Father Timm at Hotline Bangladesh, a human rights organisation in Dhaka, said she was informed by a Holy Cross priest at the Notre Dame University in Indiana that Father Timm had gotten sick suddenly at the campus three days ago and was hospitalised.

"He went into a coma and died at 1:20pm [US time] at a hospital in South Bend. He suffered from a brain stroke before death," she told The Daily Star over phone from New York yesterday.

"He died very peacefully, just sleeping soundly," Rosaline quoted a priest as saying.

Father Timm, born on March 2, 1923, was ordained a Catholic priest of the Holy Cross Congregation in 1949 at the age of 26. After doing his PhD from the Catholic University in Washington, Father Timm moved to Bangladesh as a missionary.

Right after he joined, he opened the Science department at the college and immediately after that the Debating Club, for which he was called Father of the Debating Club.

His purpose was to help students digest their knowledge through debates. Then he established the Science Club. His textbook on biology was used all over the country for many years.

He was given a special award for taking part in the Liberation War of Bangladesh. He was principal of Notre Dame College for the terms between 1970-71.

During his time in the college, he discovered more than 250 nematodes. Among them, the Marine Nematode Timmia parva was named after Timm himself.

According to the Weekly Pratibeshi, a Catholic weekly in Bangladesh, Father Timm, in collaboration with Notre Dame College, The Christian Organization for Relief and Rehabilitation (now CARITAS Bangladesh) conducted massive relief operations after the 1970 cyclone.

He made significant contribution during the Liberation War of Bangladesh and was given a special award for it.

He secretly wrote to Washington about the atrocities by the Pakistani military and mobilised public opinion in the US against the genocide. After the war, Father Timm actively took part in the new-born country's reconstruction work together with the UN, USAID and CORR.

He spent many months in Manpura Island in order to save and protect poor and destitute human lives with his own abilities, rather than looking at bugs through microscopes, said Father Adam S Pereira, registrar of Notre Dame college.

That period totally changed his life.

Timm returned to Dhaka but never had he gone back to the formal education in the College. He rather got involved in Caritas Bangladesh and simultaneously worked for Human Rights, and Justice & Peace, Pereira said.

Realising the need for non-government organizations (NGOs), he formed an association -- Association of Development Agencies in Bangladesh (ADAB).

Establishing human rights of the people was another important factor for him; so he organised the Coordinating Council for Human Rights in Bangladesh (CCHRB). His opinions and articles were published in many places, both in Bangladesh and in other countries, Pereira added.

For international understanding, Father Timm was awarded Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1987, which is considered as Asia's Nobel Prize. 

He also led Notre Dame College and CARITAS in disaster management activities in other disasters, including the flood of 1998.

Journalist and cultural activist Sagar Lohani in his facebook page wrote Father Timm was working at Manpura Island in the aftermath of 1970 cyclone. Meanwhile, as the Liberation War began, he took the responsibility to protect the people of the island.

After the war, Father Timm and Mother Teresa went to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to present a proposal for rehabilitation of the war babies and their mothers.

After approval, Father Timm assisted Mother Teresa in various ways in their rehabilitation activities, said Sagar Lohani. 

As a zoologist, Father Timm's scientific expeditions involved a landscape spanning from Antarctica Penguin Colonies to the Mangrove of South Asia.

Many of his expeditions were confined in the area of the Sundarbans and other parts of South Asia but he covered many other parts of the world as well. His other expeditions include Africa, Europe, Antarctica and The Americas.

As a strong believer and a faithful Catholic priest, he served Bangladesh and the Church for as long as he was in the country.

He edited and published the Dhaka Letter throughout his life in Bangladesh and served as spiritual director, historian and chronicle writer of the Congregation of Holy Cross of which he was a member.

One of the buildings at Notre Dame College was named after Father Timm. He had written his own biography which works as a record of most of his life.

Rosaline said Father Timm went back to the US in 2016 and had been suffering from chronic typhoid during his final days.

Father Augustine Bulbul Rebeiro, director of the Christian Communications Centre, said though Father Timm was a US citizen, his love for the people of Bangladesh amazed all. He always tried to stand by the poor and helpless people of Bangladesh.

"Though he left the world, he will be in the hearts of millions of people in Bangladesh."

In memory of Father Timm, a prayer service will be held in St Mary's Cathedral at the city's Kakrail on September 16.