Photo Courtesy of PU Archives
John Nash Jr. John Nash Jr, a legendary fixture of Princeton University’s department of mathematics renowned for his breakthrough work in mathematics and game theory as well as for his struggle with mental illness, died with his wife, Alicia, in an automobile accident May 23, 2015 in Monroe Township, New Jersey. He was 86, she was 82. Born in Bluefield, West Virginia, in 1928, Nash received his doctorate in mathematics from Princeton in 1950 and his graduate and bachelor’s degrees from Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in 1948. During the nearly 70 years that Nash was associated with the University, he was an ingenious doctoral student; a specter in Princeton’s Fine Hall whose brilliant academic career had been curtailed by his struggle with schizophrenia; then, finally, a quiet, courteous elder statesman of mathematics who still came to work every day and in the past 20 years had begun receiving the recognition many felt he long deserved. He had held the position of senior research mathematician at Princeton since 1995. Nash was a private person who also had a strikingly public profile, especially for a mathematician. His life was dramatized in the 2001 film A Beautiful Mind in which he and Alicia Nash were portrayed by actors Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly. The film centered on his influential work in game theory, which was the subject of his 1950 Princeton doctoral thesis and the work for which he received the 1994 Nobel Prize in economics. At the time of their deaths, the Nashes were returning home from Oslo, Norway, where John had received the 2015 Abel Prize from the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, one of the most prestigious honors in mathematics. The prize recognized his seminal work in partial differential equations, which are used to describe the basic laws of scientific phenomena. For his fellow mathematicians, the Abel Prize was a longoverdue acknowledgment of his contributions to mathematics. For Nash to receive his field’s highest honor only days before his death marked a final turn of the cycle of astounding achievement and jarring tragedy that seemed to characterize his life. “It was a tragic end to a very tragic life. Tragic, but at the same time a meaningful life,” said Sergiu Klain-
Henry Otto Isaac Henr y Ot to Isaac died p e a c e f u l l y, s u r r o u n d e d by his family on May 30, 2015. Born in Cologne, Germany in 1922, his father managed a family manufacturing industry and his mother Alice was a concert pianist. Henry
left the country at 15, first for England and then the United States at the onset of the Second World War. He joined the U.S. Army and saw service from the landing at Normandy until he was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge. He returned to New York and graduated from City College of New York and did graduate studies in economics at New York University. He met and married Rhoda Kassof, an artist, art educator, and later analytical psychologist; and raised two sons, Jan Luss and Jeffrey Isaac. They moved to Switzerland for many years where Henry worked as the head of the English translation department at the Union Bank of Switzerland. After retirement, he and Rhoda settled in Princeton near family. They were long-time residents at Stonebridge. An avid student of history and lover of good humor and travel, especially in Italy, Henry was a devoted husband, loving father and grandfather, and dear friend to many who will remember his sweet and generous nature. He is survived by his wife Rhoda, son Jeffrey, daughter-in-law Sophie, grandson Elias, cousin Eva, brotherin-law Allen and several nephews and nieces. A memorial service will be announced.
Nancy Nesbit Coffin Nancy Nesbit Coffin, Mrs. David R. Coffin, formerly of Princeton, New Jersey, pas s e d away p e acef u lly May 9, 2015 on Nantucket Island. Born April 25, 1925 in Montgomery, Alabama, Nancy at tended var ious schools as she moved with her mother and stepfather following construction jobs during the Depression. She graduated high school in upstate New York, attended one year at Syracuse University, before taking a job during the war years as a clerk with the Army at Fort Drum. There she met a young soldier, recently graduated from Princeton University, who would continue to write her letters from his time serving abroad with the U.S. Army Air Corps. Nancy was married at the Princeton Chapel in June of 1947, honeymooned on Nantucket, and settled down in Princeton as a faculty wife. She first set up house in graduate housing in the Butler Project, later moving to Guyot Avenue, then finally to McCosh Circle in 1960. Her first job after raising four children was with the Princeton Red Cross. She then worked as a secretary at the Institute for Advanced Study and, finally, registrar and secretary for the Robert Taylor Rare Books Collection at Firestone Library. Nancy enjoyed travelling with her husband, needle-
PRINCETON UNITED METHODIST CONFIRMATION: From left, Phoebe Quaynor, a Princeton Theological Seminary student, and Rev. Susan Victor, a deacon in the United Methodist Church, congratulate the students confirmed on Pentecost Sunday — Caileigh Groff of Hillsborough, Max Gessner of Princeton Junction, Lincoln Roth of Princeton, and Charles Hayes of Skillman. work, oil painting, good conversation, Victorian Literature, and all things English. She is predeceased by her husband, David; and her daughter, Lois C. Jenny. She will be greatly missed by her surviving children; Elizabeth Coffin Allerhand, D. Tristram Coffin, and Peter Gerald Coffin; her sonsand daughter-in-law: Hershel Allerhand, Peter Jenny, and Julie Noonan Coffin; her grandchildren Victoria J., and John Baboval, Peter David Jenny, Rebecca Jenny, D. W. Coffin, Jethro Coffin Allerhand, Rebekah N. Coffin, Joshua C. Coffin, Emma S. Coffin; and her great-grandson, Arthur Baboval. Funeral services will be held graveside, later this summer on Nantucket, at Prospect Hill Cemetery.
Johnson was greatly inspired by her mother, who taught art at the College of Wooster. Her father was a scientist in agricultural research. Thanks to her older brother whom she greatly admired, she developed a deep love of science. While he was in college majoring in physics, she, a senior in high school, was studying physics. As the only girl in the class, she was determined to beat the boys. Studying hard, she placed in the state competition in physics. Having also gone to the state competition in mathematics, she had considered a career in physics. She was married to the late Edward O. Johnson, electronics engineer at RCA and Corning Glass. They were close companions on the many adventures they had together, including a year in Zurich and eight and a half years in Tokyo. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 13, 2015, at 2 p.m., at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton, 50 Cherry Hill Road, Princeton, N.J. Parking is limited. Carpooling is recommended. Memorial contributions may be made to Arts Council of Princeton, (609) 9248777, www.artscouncilofprinceton.org and Princeton Public Library, www.princ Margaret Kennard Johnson etonlibrary.org. Margaret ( Maggi ) Kennard Johnson, artist, lived a vibrant life into her 97th year. She was still creating artworks, exhibiting, giving talks, and participating in three art groups: Princeton Artists Alliance, MOVIS, PUMC Confirms Teens and Roots, the first two of On Pentecost Sunday which she was a founding Eighth graders from member. Always bubbling four municipalities were with enthusiasm, she loved confirmed as members of friends, family, and life. Princeton United Methodist Her art is in museum col- Church on Pentecost Sunlections in the U.S.A., Ja- day, May 24. Charles Hayes pan, and Europe, including of Skillman, Lincoln Roth The British Museum in Lon- of Princeton, Max Gessdon, the Library of Congress ner of Princeton Junction, in Washington, D.C., and the and Caileigh Groff of HillsTochigi Museum in Japan. borough publicly affirmed She co-authored the book, and accepted the grace of Japanese Prints Today : God. Tradition with Innovation. Located at the corner of She also wrote articles for Nassau and Vandeventer in Printnews, Journal of the Princeton, PUMC is a diPrint World, and in Japan, Hangwa Geijutsu (Interna- verse congregation whose tional Quarterly on Prints). members come from many surrounding communities, She received a BFA from backgrounds, and faith hisPratt Institute and a Master tories. of Design from the UniverOn June 21 the worship sity of Michigan, then studschedule changes from two ied with Josef Albers, at the Summer Art Institute at services (at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.) to one service at 10 Black Mountain College. For 23 years, she taught at a.m. There is also a special the Museum of Modern Art, summer program for chilfor Victor D’Amico, one of dren through fifth grade. A the top art educators in the nursery is provided and the country. For three years, she church is wheelchair accestaught at Pratt Institute, for sible. For further informaAlexander Kostellow, who tion, call (609) 924-2613 was legendary in the field or visit www.princetonumc. org. of industrial design.
Religion
Princeton Seminary Presents Karl Barth Conferences
Jürgen Moltmann, one of the foremost religious thinkers in the world and a longtime friend of Swiss Reformed theologian Karl Barth, will present the opening lecture of the 2015 Annual Karl Barth Conference Sunday evening, June 21. Moltmann is professor emeritus of systematic theology at the University of Tübingen in Germany and contributed many books to the field of theology, including Theology of Hope (Fortress Press, 1993), The Crucified God (Fortress Press, 1993), and The Trinity and the Kingdom of God (Fortress Press, 1993). Moltmann w ill present his lecture at 7:30 p.m. in Miller Chapel on the Princeton Seminary campus. The lecture is free and open to the public. The theme of this year’s con fere n ce, wh ich r u n s through June 24, is “Karl Barth and the Gospels: Interpreting Gospel Texts.” Taking place on the campus of Princeton Theological Seminary and organized by the Seminary’s Center for Barth Studies, the conference welcomes several renowned speakers, includi ng R ichard B au ck ha m, Karlfried Froehlich, Beverly Roberts Gaventa, Eric Gregory, Willie Jennings, Paul Dafydd Jones, Bruce L. McCormack, Daniel L. Migliore, and Fleming Rutledge. For the complete list and biographies of the speakers, visit www.ptsem. edu/barthconference. For the first time, Princeton Seminary will hold the Karl Barth Pastors Conference. The conference titled “Karl Barth and the Mission of the Church,” will take place on the Seminary’s campus and will follow the annual Barth conference June 24 to June 26. The conference is specifically designed for pastors and/or those training for the ministry. It will use Karl Barth’s life and theology as a rich resource for pastors to critically engage the church’s mission in the 21st centur y. The conference will consist of three evening lectures given by Will Willimon, Willie Jennings, and Debbie Blue along with multiple workshops throughout the day led by Christian Andrews, Nancy J. Duff, Peter G. Heltzel, Fleming Rutledge, and Ry Owen Siggelkow. There will also be two worship services led by M. Craig Barnes, president of Princeton Seminary, and Kara Slade. For more information, and a complete list of speakers, visit www.ptsem.edu/pastors conference. ———
31 • TOWN TOPICS, PRINCETON, N.J., WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2015
Obituaries
erman, Princeton’s Eugene Higgins Professor of Mathematics, who was close to John and Alicia Nash, and whose own work focuses on partial differential equation analysis. Although Nash did not teach or formally take on students, his continuous presence in t he depar tment over the past several decades, coupled with the almost epic triumphs and trials of his life, earned him respect and admiration, said David Gabai, Princeton Hughes-Rogers Professor of Mathematics and department chair. Since winning the Nobel Prize, Nash had entered a long period of renewed activity and confidence — which coincided with Nash’s greater control of his mental state — that allowed him to again put his creativity to work, Klainerman said. He met Nash upon joining the Princeton faculty in 1987, but his doctoral thesis had made use of a revolutionary method introduced by Nash in connection to the Nash embedding theorems, which the Norwegian Academy described as “among the most original results in geometric analysis of the twentieth century.” Despite their divorce, Alicia, who was born in El Salvador in 1933, endured the peaks and troughs of Nash’s life alongside him, Klainerman said. Their deaths at the same time after such a long life together of highs and lows seemed literary in its tragedy and romance. “They were a wonderful couple,” Klainerman said. “You could see that she cared very much about him, and she was protective of him. You could see that she cared a lot about his image and the way he felt. I felt it was very moving.” Nash is survived by his sister, Martha Nash Legg, and sons John David Stier and John Charles Martin Nash. He had his younger son, John Nash, with Alicia shortly after their marriage in 1957, which ended in divorce in 1963. They remarried in 2001. Readers are welcome to view or share comments on a memoriam page created by Princeton University at http://johnnash.princeton. edu. A memorial service will be planned at the University in the fall. Editor’s Note: From a story published on Princeton University’s website and written by Morgan Kelly