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Professor Robert Edward Bowen (called Rufus by his friends, because of his striking red hair and beard) died suddenly, of a cerebral hemorrhage, on July 30, 1978. He was not yet thirty-two years of age. During his short lifetime he had already become a mathematician of international stature, and his death shocked the mathematical world.
Bowen was born in Vallejo, and all his schooling was in California. His brilliance was evident quite early, and by the time he received his Ph.D. (at U.C., Berkeley, under Smale), he had accumulated a sizable collection of honors and had published six mathematical papers.
The main body of his work was on the ergodic theory of dynamical systems. This has its roots in physics, and Bowen was becoming increasingly interested in mathematical questions which had physical impact.
His work was important. One example of recognition of this was his invited address, at the extraordinarily early age of twenty-seven, at the 1974 International Mathematical Congress in Vancouver. He was regarded as one of the leaders of his field.
Rufus was an outstanding and well-appreciated teacher. During his brief career he had five Ph.D. students. Because of his stature in the mathematical world, he attracted several outstanding visitors in his field to Berkeley, and in this way was beginning to influence the development of the department. He had clear, independent, and carefully thought-out views on many social and political matters. He involved himself actively in the campaign against nuclear weapons.
Rufus was married in 1968 to Carol Twito. They had no children. Their life was simple and unpretentious, punctuated by occasional parties full of noise and dancing. Rufus was a mainstay of the Sunday morning math department volleyball games. Although there was a certain amount of travel to other mathematical centers, Rufus preferred to stay near home, and his vacations usually took him and his wife to some quiet place in northern California; it was during such a vacation that his unexpected death came.
His gentle humor, his extraordinary intelligence, his modesty, his utter honesty drew people to him, and he had many friends. They, as well as the University and the mathematical world, will long feel the loss.
Jacob Feldman
Marina Ratner
Stephen Smale
Bowen was born in Vallejo, and all his schooling was in California. His brilliance was evident quite early, and by the time he received his Ph.D. (at U.C., Berkeley, under Smale), he had accumulated a sizable collection of honors and had published six mathematical papers.
The main body of his work was on the ergodic theory of dynamical systems. This has its roots in physics, and Bowen was becoming increasingly interested in mathematical questions which had physical impact.
His work was important. One example of recognition of this was his invited address, at the extraordinarily early age of twenty-seven, at the 1974 International Mathematical Congress in Vancouver. He was regarded as one of the leaders of his field.
Rufus was an outstanding and well-appreciated teacher. During his brief career he had five Ph.D. students. Because of his stature in the mathematical world, he attracted several outstanding visitors in his field to Berkeley, and in this way was beginning to influence the development of the department. He had clear, independent, and carefully thought-out views on many social and political matters. He involved himself actively in the campaign against nuclear weapons.
Rufus was married in 1968 to Carol Twito. They had no children. Their life was simple and unpretentious, punctuated by occasional parties full of noise and dancing. Rufus was a mainstay of the Sunday morning math department volleyball games. Although there was a certain amount of travel to other mathematical centers, Rufus preferred to stay near home, and his vacations usually took him and his wife to some quiet place in northern California; it was during such a vacation that his unexpected death came.
His gentle humor, his extraordinary intelligence, his modesty, his utter honesty drew people to him, and he had many friends. They, as well as the University and the mathematical world, will long feel the loss.
Jacob Feldman
Marina Ratner
Stephen Smale
This University of California obituary is available at THIS LINK