"Rom, I experienced you as a modest person with a wide range of knowledge. Always ready to find a solution and offer help where needed to so many artists. Farewell now, we cherish the good memories in our hearts."
- Marleen Deceukelier
"Rom was one of the first employees of the Museum of Contemporary Art, founded in the mid-1970s, now known as S.M.A.K. The museum team consisted of no more than five people, of whom Rom was the invisible linchpin. He can therefore safely be called a pioneer of the museum. He was someone with a unique dedication and boundless commitment. For Rom, a working day did not consist of working hours, but of curiosity, of searching for solutions, and perhaps above all of wonderment at artists. Rom's stubbornness was legendary, but that stubbornness was also necessary in a museum where there were hardly any people or resources. With Rom's departure, part of the museum's memory is lost, but also a mentality of how to approach the world and work. It has been an honour to work with Rom for more than 20 years, in both easy and difficult circumstances. If Jan Hoet was the mouth of the museum, Rom was its shoulders, arms and legs."
- Philippe Van Cauteren
"He was one of those indispensable pillars on which the museum was built and grew."
- Dirk Pauwels
"Rom was my colleague at S.M.A.K. for twelve years. Together, we installed artworks from the collection in many places around the world, from Vinci and Japan to Madrid. Rom was a great colleague who was always looking for solutions to bring every project to a successful conclusion. We got to know Panamarenko well and often travelled with him and his artwork “The Aeromodeller”. I remember one day in London when Panamarenko decided to bring ingredients with him to make a Bloody Mary at the end of the working day. He thought it was so English and so funny. And there we were, drinking Bloody Marys from the English curators' coffee cups, with a stick of celery on the side. Later, after a trip to Japan, you opted for total rest on the flight home. You crawled under the blanket on the plane, completely covered, and eight hours later you emerged, cheerful and fully rested. Rom, you were an explorer, a master of the art of living, and above all a wonderful person. I am grateful for the time we spent together and will cherish the memories forever."
- Frederika Huys
"In 1982, as a young art historian, I started working on a BTK (Bijzonder Tijdelijk Kader, or Special Temporary Framework) project at Jan Hoet's Museum of Contemporary Art. Together with Rom, who was already established there as Jan's right-hand man, and a few other colleagues, we compiled the very first collection catalogue of the fledgling museum. It was there and then that I got to know Rom as a very meticulous and respectable man: with his unassailable sense of responsibility, his inimitable precision, his unmistakable sense of understated humour and hearty laugh, and his unyielding belief in truth, goodness and beauty. For someone like me, who had to find his place in the sometimes hectic organisation of the museum, Rom's exemplary presence was invaluable. Respect! Then, today and tomorrow."
- Jo Coucke
"Rom was one of the founders of the Museum of Contemporary Art, later renamed S.M.A.K. But to us, he was so much more than that. He was the museum. Its beating heart. With incredible dedication and a deep-rooted love for art, he built up the collection into a unique heritage. He was proud of it — and rightly so. It was his life's work, his passion, his baby. We could always count on Rom. If something wasn't right, if we had questions, we knew immediately: ‘Ask Rom.’ He knew everything. He was our precursor to Wikipedia — and a lot friendlier (unless we moved a coffin without telling him... then we sometimes saw his feisty side 😉). He worked hard, always. But he also really enjoyed the little things in life: a glass of red wine, a good beer, a pleasant moment with colleagues. Rom was a great colleague. A beacon of knowledge. But above all: a warm, genuine friend. I will miss him."
- Doris
"In October 1983, I joined a small, close-knit team of passionate museum staff, a family.
Rom was an indispensable link with a big heart for the museum and the collection. I knew him as a wonderful, driven colleague, a hard worker you could always count on. I am grateful for the many years we worked together and will cherish the countless indelible memories forever."
- Véronique
