PICTURES OF MY FAMILY

A Dutchman called Jan survived Napoleon’s campaign in Russia. Probably, he named himself after the village of Reek. His son Jacob worked as a farmer in Oostvoorne.

The pictures start with his grandson Jan. He became a trader in agrarian products and married a farmer’s daughter. They had many children. One boy is shown.

Van Reek - Van Toledo

Jan van der Meer worked as a house-painter in Heenvliet. He married Maartje Warbout, daughter of a drapery owner in Oostvoorne. Their daughter was born in Heenvliet. They moved to Oostvoorne and two boys were born. The complete family is shown on a photograph.

Van der Meer - Warbout

Jacob van Reek established a fruit garden. He married with Inge van der Meer in 1944. They had suffered by the economical crisis and world war. 

Van Reek - Van der Meer

Life improved after their son Jan was born in 1945. He studied chemistry in Leiden but worked as a medical researcher at Maastricht University. Later he became a chess author and collector of Japanese prints. 

My fascination by smoking started when I was five. The harmful effects of tobacco use were just known and my father benefited from it. When he suffered from angina pectoris, he quit smoking cold turkey and stayed alive. Eventually, my father died of a heart attack. Thereafter, I started to work at the University of Maastricht and began to collect data on smoking.

The first graph of smoking in the Netherlands could be drawn in 1980. I found a decrease in smoking by men since 1958. My advise in 1985 was to shift the priority in anti-smoking policy from children to adults. As concrete measures were mentioned: smoking cessation campaigns, tobacco duty increases, a complete ban of tobacco advertisement and lessening of passive smoking. However, my work was neglected and seemed to be forgotten...

Matters changed completely, when the new millennium began. Smoking cessation campaigns started, tobacco duties were increased and new legislation was accepted in 2003. As a result, tobacco advertisement was prohibited and smoking was banned at the workplace by law. Finally, a ban of smoking in the hotel and catering industry will start in 2008. My advices had become correct predictions. 

Jan van Reek

Ingetje Maartje van Reek - van der Meer died on 30 viii 2002. Reverend Haandrikman spoke at her funeral. Two citations follow (in Dutch).

Na een lang en gelukkig leven is Inge van Reek overleden. Het is heel snel gegaan. Voor zichzelf had zij de rekening al opgemaakt voordat officieel duidelijk werd hoe ziek ze was. Ze voelde het. En met een zekere rust en berusting heeft ze dat geaccepteerd.

Ze was heel graag in en om haar huis maar nu had ze de conclusie getrokken dat ze zorg nodig had en wilde graag naar een zorginstelling. En kon haar geliefde omgeving loslaten. Ik denk dat het haar typeert. Ze wist wat ze wilde, een duidelijke eigen mening, helder, zonder omwegen. Een pittige vrouw die kon zeggen waar het op stond en tegelijk een vrouw met een heel lieve en wijze uitstraling.