Jack Cuzick '70
Student
Very sorry to hear this. As a student pourer at his blind wine tastings, math major (’70) and CGS PhD, and long time friend afterwards, I learned a lot from him. He was always enthusiastic about what he was doing and a great companion.
Please send my condolences to is surviving family.
Rob Outterson '96
Student
I will miss Professor Borelli. As a student, I felt the unflagging joy he had for what he did and taught. He relished seeing that spark of understanding kindle in young minds, year after year, and his open enthusiasm encouraged all of us. He welcomed students into the wonderous world of ordinary differential equations, easily playing the roles of inviting ambassador and gracious host. It was an honor to have been touched by his spirit.
I extend condolences and sympathy to his family and close friends. May his memory bring you peace.
David Karlton '93
Wine tasting
I never had a class with Bob. But he was such a great personality, and I vividly remember attending one of his wine tasting events. He was so generous in letting us young kids try real wines, and I always admired him for being able to connect to students and colleagues on a genuine, human level. He will be missed.
Beverly West
Colleague
I shall most sorely miss Bob Borrelli — super colleague, mentor, and friend.
I first met Bob in 1976 when he and Court Coleman came to Ithaca for a MAA Workshop in writing modules for applications of mathematics, and we began 37 years of collaborations in our shared interest in differential equations. In 1990 Bob invited us at Cornell to be charter members of CODEE, (an NSF Consortium for Ordinary Differential Equations Experiments), and in 2010 he drew me out of retirement to join the renewed online CODEE (Community of Ordinary Differential Equations Educators).
The best part of this last endeavor was the seven weeks I and my husband Jim spent at the Claremont Colleges this past winter, working to make that effort sustainable after the NSF grant money ran out. Bob was so full of ideas — he always had lots for me to do. We spent many a productive hour following up on old contacts and making new ones.
But it was not all work! After hours and on weekends we shared many adventures and meals, once in each other’s homes, but mostly in restaurants (always Italian, of course, and utterly superb). Perhaps our favorite adventure was to the Getty Center, where Bob wanted to see the exhibit of 14th century Florentine Art — sharing this with him was total enrichment! Bob was so anxious to help us get the most out of our short time in California — he loaned us guidebooks and made connections to places of special interest to us that we never would have found on our own. We had the pleasure of several trips together into L.A. and Cedars Sinai, with Bob as our private tour guide.
These and many other memories, and all the lessons learned from Bob over the years, will be with us forever.
Chris Smith
Personal Friend
I met Bob and Ursula in 2001 when I moved in next door to their vacation home in Running Springs, Calif. At the time, both Bob and I were were writing books, his being his mathematics textbook. Over the years, we developed a close friendship, and I later managed his and Ursula’s affairs when they were out of the country. I considered Bob one of my closest friends and someone on whom I could always rely. His passing marks the end of an era, and I will miss him greatly.