I've heard it said that when a person passes away, a whole world passes away. One of the things that always struck me most in Marvin was how alive in all his activities and presence that world was. Facets of it that I was privileged to experience through my friendship with him included his earlier days in Chicago, his love (a word he did not hesitate to use) for his family and friends, his celebration of his heritage and his belonging to a long-standing academic tradition that embraces the totality of intellectual achievement. Marvin's mathematical activities formed naturally a central part of this world, and therefore it is not surprising that the feeling of joy and humanity in his "doing Math" became immediately clear to those who met him. Likewise, it is not a coincidence that the impact of his work is continually increasing (recent important results refer to papers published by Marvin decades ago) and that the influence of his mathematical ideas is extending to a broader circle of mathematicians. I
believe it is that intense air of life in Marvin's nature and all his activity that made the news of his loss, in a very literal sense, unexpected and hard to come to terms with.
believe it is that intense air of life in Marvin's nature and all his activity that made the news of his loss, in a very literal sense, unexpected and hard to come to terms with.
