It is with great sadness that I announce that my longtime friend and collaborator, Dietmar Schumacher, died on Wednesday September 17, 2014, of a massive stroke. It was in 1971, when he took up his position at Acadia University, that he left a note on my office door introducing himself and suggesting we meet to discuss category theory. We did and that was the start of our long collaboration. We also started, in 1972, the category seminar which still runs today, 42 years later. For many years he would drive the 100 kms from Wolfville every week to attend the seminar, and drive back afterwards. He would sometimes speak in the seminar or, if not, stimulated discussion with his penetrating questions. The last few years, he came less often as he found the drive tiring, but invariably he would read up on the topic of the week and always emailed me a question or two about it. He kept up his interest in category theory until the end. He came to the first seminar this year, just two weeks ago, looking strong and fit as ever. We'll miss his wry sense of humour. His way of apologizing for some little thing, and then apologizing for apologizing. Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time. Bob [For admin and other information see: http://www.mta.ca/~cat-dist/ ]
It is with great sadness that I announce that my longtime friend and collaborator, Dietmar Schumacher, died on Wednesday September 17, 2014, of a massive stroke. It was in 1971, when he took up his position at Acadia University, that he left a note on my office door introducing himself and suggesting we meet to discuss category theory. We did and that was the start of our long collaboration. We also started, in 1972, the category seminar which still runs today, 42 years later. For many years he would drive the 100 kms from Wolfville every week to attend the seminar, and drive back afterwards. He would sometimes speak in the seminar or, if not, stimulated discussion with his penetrating questions. The last few years, he came less often as he found the drive tiring, but invariably he would read up on the topic of the week and always emailed me a question or two about it. He kept up his interest in category theory until the end. He came to the first seminar this year, just two weeks ago, looking strong and fit as ever. We'll miss his wry sense of humour. His way of apologizing for some little thing, and then apologizing for apologizing. Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time. Bob
Dear Bob, This is a big shock and terrible news. Dietmar was one of a kind. Yes, as Bob says, always apologetic. Yet this reflected his sensitivity both in daily life and in mathematics. We were fortunate that Dietmar and his lovely family visited Macquarie for 5 months beginning in September 1984. They fitted in very well and the children liked the schools with the novel uniforms. I remember also a very pleasant visit to the Schumachers’ in Wolfville where we learnt more about the origins of the Cajuns we knew from New Orleans. Dietmar visited again for four months at the end of 1991 and stayed at our residential college: Dunmore Lang. He charmed the Principal and managers so much that I was invited to the Dunmore Lang Christmas Party for many years after that as appreciation for organizing Dietmar’s stay! Otherwise we met at conferences. A couple of times in Europe, Dietmar would find a document in his briefcase to give me to read. The cobbled roads and arches we met under, usually in the wet, made Dietmar remark that he felt like a drug dealer in some 1930s movie. It is strange how the very little things stick in your memory. One time when I parked my car next to one with a dent in the side, Dietmar warned me that the owner might not be so careful opening their door and I should move. Please accept my deeply felt condolences, especially Heide and family. Ross [For admin and other information see: http://www.mta.ca/~cat-dist/ ]
Dear Heide, Words always fall short of what one would say. I remember with affection Dietmar, his deep irony, his (your) family and warm hospitality; and occasions like a pleasant walk in your countryside, or a drive in the autumn colours (with Bob, as well). Also our discussion about works, of course; yet, this is a minor part of the affecionate memories I keep Marco [For admin and other information see: http://www.mta.ca/~cat-dist/ ]
Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.
Yes, and we shall all miss Dietmar Schumacher, fine mathematician and gentleman... He did not write many papers, but his mind was so brilliant. His humour was beautiful, and always based on his kindness. George [For admin and other information see: http://www.mta.ca/~cat-dist/ ]
So sad. He taught me algebra at Acadia in the early '90s. He had a great sense of humour. RIP, Dr. Schumacher. Moneesha [For admin and other information see: http://www.mta.ca/~cat-dist/ ]
Dear Bob, This is very unexpected and sad news indeed. Without him knowing, Dietmar was one of my early heroes when, under the direction of Nico Pumpluen, I started my Master's thesis project on algebraic theories and monads in early 1970. His paper on "Minimale und maximale Tripelerzeugende und eine Bemerkung zur Tripelbarkeit" ("Minimal and maximal generators for triples and a remark on tripleability") had just appeared in Arch. Math. (1969), and I felt very lucky when shortly afterwards I got hold of a copy of his Ph. D. thesis written under the direction of the general algebraist Walter Felscher at the University of Freiburg, on which the Archiv article was based. I think that it was only in the 1980s that I first met Dietmar. When I told him then how much his Ph. D. thesis had helped me organize my Master's thesis, he replied "Ach, das war doch alles nur trivialer Quatsch" ("Oh, that was all just trivial nonsense"). He was so talented and knowledgeable and yet so modest that he just couldn't ever admit to having done something important or beautiful! He'll be missed by many of us! Walter Quoting Robert Pare <R.Pare@Dal.Ca>:
It is with great sadness that I announce that my longtime friend and collaborator, Dietmar Schumacher, died on Wednesday September 17, 2014, of a massive stroke.
It was in 1971, when he took up his position at Acadia University, that he left a note on my office door introducing himself and suggesting we meet to discuss category theory. We did and that was the start of our long collaboration. We also started, in 1972, the category seminar which still runs today, 42 years later. For many years he would drive the 100 kms from Wolfville every week to attend the seminar, and drive back afterwards. He would sometimes speak in the seminar or, if not, stimulated discussion with his penetrating questions. The last few years, he came less often as he found the drive tiring, but invariably he would read up on the topic of the week and always emailed me a question or two about it. He kept up his interest in category theory until the end. He came to the first seminar this year, just two weeks ago, looking strong and fit as ever.
We'll miss his wry sense of humour. His way of apologizing for some little thing, and then apologizing for apologizing.
Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.
Bob
[For admin and other information see: http://www.mta.ca/~cat-dist/ ]
I am very sad to learn about the passing of Dietmar Schumacher. I remember him as a student from Walter Felscher's classroom in Freiburg im Breisgau. It was 50 years ago on my first visit to Germany. In the classroom Walter publicly referred to Dietmar and praised him, and the tall, shy student replied: 'mich?' I served on his doctoral committee and over the years continued to be impressed by the seriousness of his approach to mathematics. He was an important contributor to the Canada-UK collaboration that published in 1978 major advances in the application of Grothendieck's 1961 fibered categories. To facilitate those applications Pare' and Schumacher devised a flexible presentation of the basic theory in terms of what they called indexed categories. Renewed study of these ideas, in light of the later exposition by Thomas Streicher, should lead to further applications (for example to the solution of problems posed in my 1972 Perugia Notes.) The serene spirit of Dietmar Schumacher will continue to inspire those who strive to develop such unifying applications. My heartfelt condolences go to his family. Bill Lawvere [For admin and other information see: http://www.mta.ca/~cat-dist/ ]
participants (7)
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George Janelidze -
Marco Grandis -
Moneesha Mehta -
Robert Pare -
Ross Street -
tholen＠mathstat.yorku.ca -
wlawvere