KURT OTTO FRIEDRICHS
September 25, 1901 January 1983
Sunday January 2, 1983
New Rochelle, New York
DAVID
This is an occasion of mourning. But it is also an occasion for celebration - of a very full life - and a giving of thanks - for a
peaceful death.
We were sad to see Dad ill and sometimes confused during these past two and a half months. We will miss his presence
among us. And we mourn the inevitable end of a wonderful marriage of more than 45 years.
We also celebrate a long and very full life, filled with many blessings. Dad was born in 1901, and his life coincided almost
perfectly with the twentieth century. He witnessed quite directly many of the major events - and developments - of this
century. He had a strong sense of the past, reflected in his abiding interest in his ancestry, and in history. But in his work -
for example, in aeronautics - he also contributed to important developments for the future.
Of the many blessings in Dad’s life I would note first and foremost the wonderful, and for all of us, inspiring marriage
of 45 years; this is a love story going back 50 years now, originat-ing in quite dramatic circumstances, a story to which
many of us here, my siblings and myself, owe our existence.
Then there is the very successful career. Dad had productive and gratifying relationships with several generations of
teachers, colleagues, and students. And his work in mathematics has resulted in much recognition, and many fine honors.
But Dad’s dedication to work was complemented with a diversity of other interests, from genealogy to ornithology. In
his life there were so many mountain peaks conquered, snow-covered slopes skied... and trees studied (I remember his
pulling the car off the road, in Cali-fornia, just to study a free). Indeed, he felt close to the whole cosmos of nature... and
enjoyed it thoroughly during his daily walks; walks, I should say, which continued to the very end of his life, although finally
in very constrained circumstances. His joy with Turtle Trickle was a reflection of his love of nature; and Turtle Trickle will
always be, for all of us in the family, a very appropriate living memorial to Dad’s memory.
Then there were the endless travels.., to New Hampshire... out West... throughout Europe... and to Africa and India and
Japan... and around the world, more than once.
And his family. He lived to see all five of his children happily married (or, in one case, about to be remarried) to in-law
children he appreciated and loved for their diverse qualities and warm relations with him. To see his children all settled into
satisfying careers, with families of their own: the eight healthy grandchildren.
The last five years of Dad’s life - 1978 to 1982 - were marred by illnesses and deaths in the family, and other
traumas. But they were also years during which he received many fine trib-utes the National Medal of Science... the
honorary doctorates... and especially the heart-warming 80th birthday dinner - and enjoyed as well, various personal
satisfactions (after all, five of the grandchildren were born since January 1978). Perhaps above all, there were the long,
uninterrupted hours and days and weeks with Mom... at home and traveling.
Finally, Dad was blessed in his death. He believed strongly that people should be allowed to die with dignity. And he died
at home, in his own bed, tended by a loving wife, with two of his sons present, peacefully. In this respect one couldn’t
ask for more.
As a personality Dad was not generally demonstrative. He was raised in a cultural milieu which favored restraint. But he
was able to convey - and inspire - a very deep feeling for other people, and from them.
And of course he had great personal integrity.
What Dad said of his own father applied, I believe, even more to himself. This is to say he could be quite impossible and
unreasonable about minor everyday things. But on the really important things he was wonderful, he was superb. He was
uncommonly generous, he was tolerant, and even wise.
And so Dad has left us all with many fond memories, and a profound and enduring heritage.
WALTER
As most of you here know, I am the oldest son, and I now belong to the Jewish side of the family, where it is a tradition
for the oldest son to say the Kaddish. This I won’t do, but I would like to share with you some of my own personal
memories of my father.
My earliest, most vivid memories of my father were of his taking his famous walks with his hands behind his back and
playing with his key ring in his hands. I, as a 3- or 4-year old, would be running behind him trying to keep up with his fast
pace and fearful that he might forget about me, but of course, he never did.
As David mentioned, my father grew up at the beginning of this century, in Germany under an emperor, in a large house
with a staff. When he was a child, I was told, he was frequently sick and couldn’t play outside that much, but he was
an excellent student. I, on the other hand grew up about 40 years later, an American boy, strong and healthy in a house full
of kids, playing outside every chance I got, but was a miserable student.
Being so different as a child, I felt, even when a child, that I was something of a puzzle or mystery to him. Yet I always
knew that he supported me in every way that he could and that he accepted me for what I was, which was very important
to me.
Yet at the same time I did have some confusing feelings about him when I was young, especially when I would compare
him to other fathers in our neighborhood, whose chief week-end occupation would be to sit in front of television and drink
beer; and they knew all about baseball, football and were very good at fixing things around the house. Furthermore, when
other parents would ask, “What does your father do?� and I would say proudly that he was a mathematician, their
answer invariably was, “Ugh, that was my worst subject.�
To be sure, in due time I was to realize that my father had probably more knowledge than all the other fathers combined.
Most of my friends had more time around their fathers while they were busy doing other things. When our father spent
time with us, it was solely to be with us and we did many interesting things, such as going to the park or to a museum. And
now as I look back on it, I realize that his time spent with us was much more effective.
When I was much older and would bring friends to the house and we would deal with, or meet with, my father in a casual
way, I often had the clear feeling that many of these people had the impression that my father really didn’t quite know
what was going on about him -that he was locked in his own world of math and didn’t know what real life was all
about. This as all of you know was most definitely not the case. When he and I would later talk about people, or what had
happened, I found that he knew exactly what went on and made excellent judgements of people.
In fact, when we were kids and had some problem that needed help or advice and if we went to our mother or our
grandmother, Didi, they would both frequently say “See Daddy, he will give you excellent advice.�
I always admired him because no matter what level I was in school and if I didn’t know the answers to some school
problem, I could go to him and he would be able to help me. The only subject that I had a problem with was math,
because in my later years at school if I couldn’t do something and would go to him, he would sit back for a moment,
figure out how to do it and then show me. But when I brought the answer to school the teacher would say that the answer
was correct, however, they couldn’t understand how I had worked the problem out so it had to be marked wrong.
Because of his work he made it possible for us to do a lot of traveling starting in 1949 (which I remember very well), to
travel throughout this country, and to Europe many times. All of which we enjoyed very much.
People say that he was a lucky man:
he did very well as a student,
he was lucky he came to this country at the right time,
he did very well in his work,
he was lucky that he enjoyed doing so many interesting things in his life,
he was lucky with his five children, and most important of all,
he was lucky with my mother who meant so much to him and was so much help to him.
But I feel that all this was not just because he was a lucky man, but he clearly knew what he wanted in life and he was the
type of person who knew how to achieve it.
I will never cease to admire:
his self discipline,
how well organized he was,
how hard he worked,
his integrity,
his many and varied interests,
and his vast knowledge of them.
He was a good father and for this and all the things that I mentioned and many other reasons I will miss him.
LISKA
First of all, let me say that I truly appreciate everything David and Walter said about Dad that I agree so completely with
everything they’ve said.
I would like to share with you two experiences I had with Dad recently; both very different, but I treasure both of them
equally.
As you may know, in May 1981, Dad received an honorary degree from Columbia University. The night before he got the
degree I was his escort at a very formal dinner at the home of the President of Columbia University. Dad wore the tuxedo
he was wearing the night he met Mom - and he looked so elegant - I was so proud of him. I know that I’ll never ex-
perience such an occasion again - I felt as if we were treated like royalty. It was unforgettable.
Two or three days later Dad and I went to Turtle Trickle alone together. We had such a wonderful afternoon there. I
remember how he took me on all the trails - sometimes he had trouble finding the right trail - but he always managed. He
kept telling me about the trees, the bushes, the plants. It was so different from our experience together two nights before,
and yet I treasure this day with him just as much.
I feel these two experiences demonstrate the great variety of life we had with Dad, and I just wanted to share them with
you.
MARTIN
There are so many things Dad has given us - myself and my siblings - that it is hard to decide which I want to address. But
I have chosen three things he gave us that I would like to mention.
First, and this was something he particularly gave me, was an appreciation for nature, a love of traveling and a sense of
adventure. I was first hiking with Dad and our family at age 2½ in the White Mountains. This left in me a deep love of
this area, and I have been back there 15 times over the years. The last trip to one spot Dad had taken me when I was 8,
is where I chose to get engaged. These mountains mean a great deal to me. Also, all our trips out west and to Europe
were wonderful experiences and created a real wanderlust in me.
Dad always liked to say how the last time he went skiing was on the day I was born, so I can’t say I got skiing
directly from him. Instead I got it indirectly through Walter. But skiing for me is not just a sport, but a passion and an
adventure. And he certainly passed this on to me.
I know that David, as he said in his talk, could not quite understand Dad’s love of trees but I did learn to appreciate
trees and wild animals and nature from Dad and understand his feeling about these things.
And of course Dad’s beloved Turtle Trickle. No one could love and care for that land quite the way he did but it
means a great deal to all of us that he has left it to us and we all cherish it.
The second thing Dad left us was his character. Although of course it was complex, the key points were an almost rigid
sense of integrity, an insistence on doing what he felt was the right and proper thing to do, and most importantly, an ability
to think independently with a truly open mind, and yet to appreciate and respect others who thought differently.
This character also allowed Dad to look at each of his five children differently and to treat us each in a unique way.
Guiding and helping us achieve what we could in our own areas. I hope and feel that to various extents we have had these
character traits passed on to us.
The third and most important thing Dad has left us is the way he loved our mother. This warm and wonderful relationship
they created, so full of caring and supporting each other was the foundation of so much else. This love set the tone for a
very happy home, a stable environment and a close family life. And although we would not and could not copy this
relationship exactly, it was an inspiration to us and an example of how a relationship between two people can and should
be at its best.
It was this love and this wonderful relationship that I feel was the primary reason that all five of us developed into stable,
secure and most importantly fundamentally happy individuals. What greater gift could any parent give their child. For this
and so much more we are very grateful.
CHRISTOPHER
My father never liked occasions to be too formal or too rigid, and for just that reason I think he would have felt right about
the group of people gathered here today. Those who were asked to come, in addition to the family, do not represent
specifically the “most important� people in my father’s life, but they do represent some of the most important
groups of people with whom his life and work were shared. There is, for example, someone he knew even longer than he
knew my mother - Nina Courant. There are some of the people with whom he worked - Fritz, Lipa, Wilhelm. There is
someone who played an important part in the life of our home - Bridie. There are people who played an important part in
his life through their friendship with my mother - Lotte, and someone my parents met through her, Grete. And there are
others as well, including some from the younger generations.
As I tried to think of some theme that would tie together the way in which my father’s life affected all of us who are
gathered here, I recalled something about which he more than once complained. He was annoyed that some reference
work - “Who’s Who,� I think - repeatedly listed him as an “educator and mathematician.� He very
much disliked the term “educator.� In the first place, he considered it pretentious. And in the second place, he
considered it redundant - for, in my father’s conception, to be a mathematician meant by definition to be an educator.
He was always cool to the idea that mathematics could or should be done in isolated research settings. For he felt very
strongly that the only way to do mathematics was in collaboration with colleagues and through the process of teaching and
communicating mathematical knowledge from one generation to the next. In short, every mathematician already was, or
should be, an “educator.�
Yet even so, the term “educator� is in fact a very suitable way to summarize what kind of person my father was -
particularly, perhaps, for those who, like many of us here, had no gift for mathematics. Some of those assembled here will
know much more than I about my father’s qualities and achievements as a mathematician. But others among us, and
especially his five children, will remember and appreciate more clearly his great gifts as an educator. For to a large extent,
I think my father’s very idea of what it meant to be a parent was bound up with the idea of educating his children. We
all recall the “lessons� we used to have with Dad in which we came to his study, one by one, to sit on his lap at his
desk and “learn� something. In our youngest years, of course, there was not much “educational content� in
these lessons, but I don’t think that mattered to Dad at all - the important thing was that a “lesson� seemed to
him to be a very natural form of interaction between a parent and a child. And, of course, as we grew a bit older some
more real content was slipped into these lessons. Eventually the “lessons� were dropped, but teaching and learning
continued. All of us will recall the way in which our father followed and guided our interests in the different fields of
knowledge that excited our curiosity. A tremendous advantage to him - and to us - was his truly astonishing breadth of
knowledge and interests. He could teach us about almost anything.
Professionally, of course, it was hard to imagine Dad as anything other than a mathematician. Once when I was a student I
listened with some astonishment as someone asked one of my professors, a political scientist I think, whether he “liked
his work,� and the professor replied that he liked some aspects but not other aspects. I could not imagine anyone
asking my father such a question, or getting such an answer; being a mathematician was utterly integral to who and what he
was. Yet at the very same time, he had such a wide range of knowledge and talent that he could, I think, have followed
many other paths. I think, for example, that he could also have been a great physicist. He could have been a good
philologist and certainly - this I say as an expert - he could have been a very good historian. He would have been a better
than average naturalist. He had a solid knowledge of philosophy and a sophisticated interest in things like archaeology and
modern literature, especially modern German literature. And he had a deep and fundamental concern with the problems of
society and political ethics. This is why, of course, it could never have bothered him that (with the partial exception of
Martin) none of his children followed his path as a mathematician. For no matter what we got seriously interested in, it was
something he knew and cared about. His mathematical skills, of course, he passed on to Martin. His deep love of history
he passed on to me. His thoughtful concern with philosophy and social issues he passed on to David. His love of nature he
passed on to Martin and even more powerfully, though it emerged a bit later, to Liska. And with Walter he shared
something which, though originally not of great concern to him, became increasingly pronounced after he had acquired
Turtle Trickle - a serious interest in problems of real estate and property management.
But even more important, of course, than the specific subjects or topics of interest which he shared with his children were
the values which Dad tried to communicate to us and instill in us. It is hard to sum up all of the values which he upheld, but
I think I can summarize them under three headings:
First he insisted in clear thinking and clarity of expression. Sometimes, I must admit, his absolute insistence on having
things explained to him clearly could get a bit trying, but for the most part it served to teach us - and others - a very
important lesson about the necessity for people to formulate clear thoughts about what they themselves were thinking or
doing.
Second, he had an intense dislike of hypocrisy and posturing. This is perhaps best explained by an example. More than
once Dad mentioned the controversy that arose in California in the 1950’s concerning loyalty oaths, in which I believe
his great friend Hans Lewy had been involved. In describing this problem, Dad explained that he could understand why
some people, who felt loyal to the government anyway, would be willing to sign such an oath. At the same time, he could
understand and respect the fact that other people would refuse, as a matter of principle, to sign such an oath. But what he
could not condone or tolerate was that some people might first make a great public show of refusing to sign and then,
when things got more difficult, would meekly agree to sign after all.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, there was his great belief in tolerance, his ability to see and respect both sides of a
question, his hostility of extremes and rejection of simplistic answers to difficult problems. He was often open-minded
about unfashionable ideas, but at the same time he always warned against over-hasty acceptance of them. He believed
quite passionately in doing and considering things in a reasonable way.
These, then, are some of the interests he shared and some of the values he communicated to us in his capacity and some
of the values he communicated to us in his capacity as an “educator� in the widest sense. All of us, I think, have
come to know him and appreciate him in this capacity. And thus it may be fitting, in conclusion, if we would all take some
moments to silently reflect about some of the things we learned from him or from his example, until my mother feels it is
time to bring to a close this service in memory of my father.
September 25, 1901 January 1983
Sunday January 2, 1983
New Rochelle, New York
DAVID
This is an occasion of mourning. But it is also an occasion for celebration - of a very full life - and a giving of thanks - for a
peaceful death.
We were sad to see Dad ill and sometimes confused during these past two and a half months. We will miss his presence
among us. And we mourn the inevitable end of a wonderful marriage of more than 45 years.
We also celebrate a long and very full life, filled with many blessings. Dad was born in 1901, and his life coincided almost
perfectly with the twentieth century. He witnessed quite directly many of the major events - and developments - of this
century. He had a strong sense of the past, reflected in his abiding interest in his ancestry, and in history. But in his work -
for example, in aeronautics - he also contributed to important developments for the future.
Of the many blessings in Dad’s life I would note first and foremost the wonderful, and for all of us, inspiring marriage
of 45 years; this is a love story going back 50 years now, originat-ing in quite dramatic circumstances, a story to which
many of us here, my siblings and myself, owe our existence.
Then there is the very successful career. Dad had productive and gratifying relationships with several generations of
teachers, colleagues, and students. And his work in mathematics has resulted in much recognition, and many fine honors.
But Dad’s dedication to work was complemented with a diversity of other interests, from genealogy to ornithology. In
his life there were so many mountain peaks conquered, snow-covered slopes skied... and trees studied (I remember his
pulling the car off the road, in Cali-fornia, just to study a free). Indeed, he felt close to the whole cosmos of nature... and
enjoyed it thoroughly during his daily walks; walks, I should say, which continued to the very end of his life, although finally
in very constrained circumstances. His joy with Turtle Trickle was a reflection of his love of nature; and Turtle Trickle will
always be, for all of us in the family, a very appropriate living memorial to Dad’s memory.
Then there were the endless travels.., to New Hampshire... out West... throughout Europe... and to Africa and India and
Japan... and around the world, more than once.
And his family. He lived to see all five of his children happily married (or, in one case, about to be remarried) to in-law
children he appreciated and loved for their diverse qualities and warm relations with him. To see his children all settled into
satisfying careers, with families of their own: the eight healthy grandchildren.
The last five years of Dad’s life - 1978 to 1982 - were marred by illnesses and deaths in the family, and other
traumas. But they were also years during which he received many fine trib-utes the National Medal of Science... the
honorary doctorates... and especially the heart-warming 80th birthday dinner - and enjoyed as well, various personal
satisfactions (after all, five of the grandchildren were born since January 1978). Perhaps above all, there were the long,
uninterrupted hours and days and weeks with Mom... at home and traveling.
Finally, Dad was blessed in his death. He believed strongly that people should be allowed to die with dignity. And he died
at home, in his own bed, tended by a loving wife, with two of his sons present, peacefully. In this respect one couldn’t
ask for more.
As a personality Dad was not generally demonstrative. He was raised in a cultural milieu which favored restraint. But he
was able to convey - and inspire - a very deep feeling for other people, and from them.
And of course he had great personal integrity.
What Dad said of his own father applied, I believe, even more to himself. This is to say he could be quite impossible and
unreasonable about minor everyday things. But on the really important things he was wonderful, he was superb. He was
uncommonly generous, he was tolerant, and even wise.
And so Dad has left us all with many fond memories, and a profound and enduring heritage.
WALTER
As most of you here know, I am the oldest son, and I now belong to the Jewish side of the family, where it is a tradition
for the oldest son to say the Kaddish. This I won’t do, but I would like to share with you some of my own personal
memories of my father.
My earliest, most vivid memories of my father were of his taking his famous walks with his hands behind his back and
playing with his key ring in his hands. I, as a 3- or 4-year old, would be running behind him trying to keep up with his fast
pace and fearful that he might forget about me, but of course, he never did.
As David mentioned, my father grew up at the beginning of this century, in Germany under an emperor, in a large house
with a staff. When he was a child, I was told, he was frequently sick and couldn’t play outside that much, but he was
an excellent student. I, on the other hand grew up about 40 years later, an American boy, strong and healthy in a house full
of kids, playing outside every chance I got, but was a miserable student.
Being so different as a child, I felt, even when a child, that I was something of a puzzle or mystery to him. Yet I always
knew that he supported me in every way that he could and that he accepted me for what I was, which was very important
to me.
Yet at the same time I did have some confusing feelings about him when I was young, especially when I would compare
him to other fathers in our neighborhood, whose chief week-end occupation would be to sit in front of television and drink
beer; and they knew all about baseball, football and were very good at fixing things around the house. Furthermore, when
other parents would ask, “What does your father do?� and I would say proudly that he was a mathematician, their
answer invariably was, “Ugh, that was my worst subject.�
To be sure, in due time I was to realize that my father had probably more knowledge than all the other fathers combined.
Most of my friends had more time around their fathers while they were busy doing other things. When our father spent
time with us, it was solely to be with us and we did many interesting things, such as going to the park or to a museum. And
now as I look back on it, I realize that his time spent with us was much more effective.
When I was much older and would bring friends to the house and we would deal with, or meet with, my father in a casual
way, I often had the clear feeling that many of these people had the impression that my father really didn’t quite know
what was going on about him -that he was locked in his own world of math and didn’t know what real life was all
about. This as all of you know was most definitely not the case. When he and I would later talk about people, or what had
happened, I found that he knew exactly what went on and made excellent judgements of people.
In fact, when we were kids and had some problem that needed help or advice and if we went to our mother or our
grandmother, Didi, they would both frequently say “See Daddy, he will give you excellent advice.�
I always admired him because no matter what level I was in school and if I didn’t know the answers to some school
problem, I could go to him and he would be able to help me. The only subject that I had a problem with was math,
because in my later years at school if I couldn’t do something and would go to him, he would sit back for a moment,
figure out how to do it and then show me. But when I brought the answer to school the teacher would say that the answer
was correct, however, they couldn’t understand how I had worked the problem out so it had to be marked wrong.
Because of his work he made it possible for us to do a lot of traveling starting in 1949 (which I remember very well), to
travel throughout this country, and to Europe many times. All of which we enjoyed very much.
People say that he was a lucky man:
he did very well as a student,
he was lucky he came to this country at the right time,
he did very well in his work,
he was lucky that he enjoyed doing so many interesting things in his life,
he was lucky with his five children, and most important of all,
he was lucky with my mother who meant so much to him and was so much help to him.
But I feel that all this was not just because he was a lucky man, but he clearly knew what he wanted in life and he was the
type of person who knew how to achieve it.
I will never cease to admire:
his self discipline,
how well organized he was,
how hard he worked,
his integrity,
his many and varied interests,
and his vast knowledge of them.
He was a good father and for this and all the things that I mentioned and many other reasons I will miss him.
LISKA
First of all, let me say that I truly appreciate everything David and Walter said about Dad that I agree so completely with
everything they’ve said.
I would like to share with you two experiences I had with Dad recently; both very different, but I treasure both of them
equally.
As you may know, in May 1981, Dad received an honorary degree from Columbia University. The night before he got the
degree I was his escort at a very formal dinner at the home of the President of Columbia University. Dad wore the tuxedo
he was wearing the night he met Mom - and he looked so elegant - I was so proud of him. I know that I’ll never ex-
perience such an occasion again - I felt as if we were treated like royalty. It was unforgettable.
Two or three days later Dad and I went to Turtle Trickle alone together. We had such a wonderful afternoon there. I
remember how he took me on all the trails - sometimes he had trouble finding the right trail - but he always managed. He
kept telling me about the trees, the bushes, the plants. It was so different from our experience together two nights before,
and yet I treasure this day with him just as much.
I feel these two experiences demonstrate the great variety of life we had with Dad, and I just wanted to share them with
you.
MARTIN
There are so many things Dad has given us - myself and my siblings - that it is hard to decide which I want to address. But
I have chosen three things he gave us that I would like to mention.
First, and this was something he particularly gave me, was an appreciation for nature, a love of traveling and a sense of
adventure. I was first hiking with Dad and our family at age 2½ in the White Mountains. This left in me a deep love of
this area, and I have been back there 15 times over the years. The last trip to one spot Dad had taken me when I was 8,
is where I chose to get engaged. These mountains mean a great deal to me. Also, all our trips out west and to Europe
were wonderful experiences and created a real wanderlust in me.
Dad always liked to say how the last time he went skiing was on the day I was born, so I can’t say I got skiing
directly from him. Instead I got it indirectly through Walter. But skiing for me is not just a sport, but a passion and an
adventure. And he certainly passed this on to me.
I know that David, as he said in his talk, could not quite understand Dad’s love of trees but I did learn to appreciate
trees and wild animals and nature from Dad and understand his feeling about these things.
And of course Dad’s beloved Turtle Trickle. No one could love and care for that land quite the way he did but it
means a great deal to all of us that he has left it to us and we all cherish it.
The second thing Dad left us was his character. Although of course it was complex, the key points were an almost rigid
sense of integrity, an insistence on doing what he felt was the right and proper thing to do, and most importantly, an ability
to think independently with a truly open mind, and yet to appreciate and respect others who thought differently.
This character also allowed Dad to look at each of his five children differently and to treat us each in a unique way.
Guiding and helping us achieve what we could in our own areas. I hope and feel that to various extents we have had these
character traits passed on to us.
The third and most important thing Dad has left us is the way he loved our mother. This warm and wonderful relationship
they created, so full of caring and supporting each other was the foundation of so much else. This love set the tone for a
very happy home, a stable environment and a close family life. And although we would not and could not copy this
relationship exactly, it was an inspiration to us and an example of how a relationship between two people can and should
be at its best.
It was this love and this wonderful relationship that I feel was the primary reason that all five of us developed into stable,
secure and most importantly fundamentally happy individuals. What greater gift could any parent give their child. For this
and so much more we are very grateful.
CHRISTOPHER
My father never liked occasions to be too formal or too rigid, and for just that reason I think he would have felt right about
the group of people gathered here today. Those who were asked to come, in addition to the family, do not represent
specifically the “most important� people in my father’s life, but they do represent some of the most important
groups of people with whom his life and work were shared. There is, for example, someone he knew even longer than he
knew my mother - Nina Courant. There are some of the people with whom he worked - Fritz, Lipa, Wilhelm. There is
someone who played an important part in the life of our home - Bridie. There are people who played an important part in
his life through their friendship with my mother - Lotte, and someone my parents met through her, Grete. And there are
others as well, including some from the younger generations.
As I tried to think of some theme that would tie together the way in which my father’s life affected all of us who are
gathered here, I recalled something about which he more than once complained. He was annoyed that some reference
work - “Who’s Who,� I think - repeatedly listed him as an “educator and mathematician.� He very
much disliked the term “educator.� In the first place, he considered it pretentious. And in the second place, he
considered it redundant - for, in my father’s conception, to be a mathematician meant by definition to be an educator.
He was always cool to the idea that mathematics could or should be done in isolated research settings. For he felt very
strongly that the only way to do mathematics was in collaboration with colleagues and through the process of teaching and
communicating mathematical knowledge from one generation to the next. In short, every mathematician already was, or
should be, an “educator.�
Yet even so, the term “educator� is in fact a very suitable way to summarize what kind of person my father was -
particularly, perhaps, for those who, like many of us here, had no gift for mathematics. Some of those assembled here will
know much more than I about my father’s qualities and achievements as a mathematician. But others among us, and
especially his five children, will remember and appreciate more clearly his great gifts as an educator. For to a large extent,
I think my father’s very idea of what it meant to be a parent was bound up with the idea of educating his children. We
all recall the “lessons� we used to have with Dad in which we came to his study, one by one, to sit on his lap at his
desk and “learn� something. In our youngest years, of course, there was not much “educational content� in
these lessons, but I don’t think that mattered to Dad at all - the important thing was that a “lesson� seemed to
him to be a very natural form of interaction between a parent and a child. And, of course, as we grew a bit older some
more real content was slipped into these lessons. Eventually the “lessons� were dropped, but teaching and learning
continued. All of us will recall the way in which our father followed and guided our interests in the different fields of
knowledge that excited our curiosity. A tremendous advantage to him - and to us - was his truly astonishing breadth of
knowledge and interests. He could teach us about almost anything.
Professionally, of course, it was hard to imagine Dad as anything other than a mathematician. Once when I was a student I
listened with some astonishment as someone asked one of my professors, a political scientist I think, whether he “liked
his work,� and the professor replied that he liked some aspects but not other aspects. I could not imagine anyone
asking my father such a question, or getting such an answer; being a mathematician was utterly integral to who and what he
was. Yet at the very same time, he had such a wide range of knowledge and talent that he could, I think, have followed
many other paths. I think, for example, that he could also have been a great physicist. He could have been a good
philologist and certainly - this I say as an expert - he could have been a very good historian. He would have been a better
than average naturalist. He had a solid knowledge of philosophy and a sophisticated interest in things like archaeology and
modern literature, especially modern German literature. And he had a deep and fundamental concern with the problems of
society and political ethics. This is why, of course, it could never have bothered him that (with the partial exception of
Martin) none of his children followed his path as a mathematician. For no matter what we got seriously interested in, it was
something he knew and cared about. His mathematical skills, of course, he passed on to Martin. His deep love of history
he passed on to me. His thoughtful concern with philosophy and social issues he passed on to David. His love of nature he
passed on to Martin and even more powerfully, though it emerged a bit later, to Liska. And with Walter he shared
something which, though originally not of great concern to him, became increasingly pronounced after he had acquired
Turtle Trickle - a serious interest in problems of real estate and property management.
But even more important, of course, than the specific subjects or topics of interest which he shared with his children were
the values which Dad tried to communicate to us and instill in us. It is hard to sum up all of the values which he upheld, but
I think I can summarize them under three headings:
First he insisted in clear thinking and clarity of expression. Sometimes, I must admit, his absolute insistence on having
things explained to him clearly could get a bit trying, but for the most part it served to teach us - and others - a very
important lesson about the necessity for people to formulate clear thoughts about what they themselves were thinking or
doing.
Second, he had an intense dislike of hypocrisy and posturing. This is perhaps best explained by an example. More than
once Dad mentioned the controversy that arose in California in the 1950’s concerning loyalty oaths, in which I believe
his great friend Hans Lewy had been involved. In describing this problem, Dad explained that he could understand why
some people, who felt loyal to the government anyway, would be willing to sign such an oath. At the same time, he could
understand and respect the fact that other people would refuse, as a matter of principle, to sign such an oath. But what he
could not condone or tolerate was that some people might first make a great public show of refusing to sign and then,
when things got more difficult, would meekly agree to sign after all.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, there was his great belief in tolerance, his ability to see and respect both sides of a
question, his hostility of extremes and rejection of simplistic answers to difficult problems. He was often open-minded
about unfashionable ideas, but at the same time he always warned against over-hasty acceptance of them. He believed
quite passionately in doing and considering things in a reasonable way.
These, then, are some of the interests he shared and some of the values he communicated to us in his capacity and some
of the values he communicated to us in his capacity as an “educator� in the widest sense. All of us, I think, have
come to know him and appreciate him in this capacity. And thus it may be fitting, in conclusion, if we would all take some
moments to silently reflect about some of the things we learned from him or from his example, until my mother feels it is
time to bring to a close this service in memory of my father.
