Richard Guy, 103

[joshuazelinsky]

Richard Guy passed away yesterday morning, on March 9th. Guy was a mathematician at the University of Calgary. He was 103 years old and had been steadily working right up until his death.

 

I've interacted with him in a bunch of different contexts, and his "Unsolved Problems in Number Theory" was a major influence on my work and a lot of what I do. Almost every paper I've written was influenced by his wonderfully comprehensive collection of problems. Although I had corresponded with him via email, it wasn't until a few years ago at the JMM that I met him in person, where he struck me as a kind and thoughtful person, very interested in what others were doing. He was a great influence on me and many other young mathematicians.

 

In a certain sense almost everyone dies too young, but it feels strange to say that about someone at 103. But in Richard's case, I'm willing to say it. We had more to learn from him, and he had more to teach and discover. It is a cliche to say that someone will be missed, but in this case, it is true. He will be missed by many mathematicians all over the world, in many different fields. I feel sorry for the now young mathematicians who will get to read his books but not get to actually meet him.