Jeff Groves
Colleague
Bob, you are missed. Your wisdom, empathy, passion, kindness, and wicked sense of humor set you apart. What an amazing friend and colleague you were, what an influence on this college you remain.
Kyle Grice '05
Chemistry major
I didn’t interact with Bob a ton, but saw him around the department a lot as a student, and he was always happy to chat and supportive. My condolences to his family and friends and to the department and HMC community.
-Kyle Grice (Chemistry ’05)
Bryan Marten '90
Student
Prof Cave started at Mudd the fall of 1988, my junior year, and I couldn’t get enough of him. As a Physics major/Chem minor I took Advanced PChem classes from him that year and was a TA for his Quantum Chem class my senior year when the Chem majors in my class took it.
I had had an opportunity to do research with VH sophomore/junior year and then switched over to Cave the summer after my junior year continuing through senior year. I was one of his first research students in what has been designated the “Prehistory” section of the Cave group page. I was using electronic structure software he had used and helped develop during his postdoc at Indiana U, where he met his wife. He would talk about his work at Indiana but also at Caltech for his PhD particularly on electron transfer processes. I thought immediately of Prof Cave a couple years after I graduated when his PhD thesis advisor Rudy Marcus won the Nobel Prize for his (and his team’s) work on electron transfer theories.
In the HMC Chem department’s recent newsletter at the bottom of pg 4 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1P4a-pSHHg92mO-hl4UpiNeUa9RnCk3Vn/view I see a picture of him with the department as it existed in the late ‘80s when I was there (VH not pictured, RIP Myhre, Kubota, Sly). Cave to me now looks like a kid! But at the time he seemed more like a model father figure, wise beyond his years, patient when listening, patient when explaining, always looking for cues if I/people were following what he was saying, quick with an encouraging gesture, hearty laugh and smile. One-on-one he would speak engagingly about science and jazz and other things. Whether or not I had a shared interest in all of those things, he was always interesting to listen to/engage with and I appreciated his ability to feel passionate about things and to share that passion. I had had a number of great professors at Mudd but I remember on a HMC teacher evaluation form writing that Cave’s attention to teaching and obvious caring were special and HMC should not let him slip through its fingers.
Prof Cave recommended several grad schools for me to apply to one of which was Columbia University’s Chemistry Dept. I ended up going there for my PhD in Physical Chemistry basically extending what I had been doing with him – electronic structure theory. While there I had the pleasure of inviting him to give a talk at Columbia the year he took a sabbatical nearby at Brookhaven National Lab. Looking through my emails I see I later reached out to Bob in 2010 about seeing him at a HMC reunion and then not again until September 2020, just weeks before he died, when my oldest daughter started as a freshman at Mudd. I had told my daughter to look for him and I wanted him to look out for her but they never met as the year ended up being all online.
After a stint in Big Pharma doing Computer Assisted Drug Design in the late ‘90s I’ve been a public high school Chem/Physics teacher for 22 years and have trouble remembering students’ names so in my Sept 2020 email I re-introduced myself to Bob in case he forgot me or didn’t remember much about me. I was delighted to get back in response a funny, thoughtful, joyful email that would turn out to be the last I heard from him. It began like this:
Bryan,
How good to hear from you, and you needed to remind me of NOTHING about you. The first students stick with you forever, and you certainly did for me.
For a laugh you should check out the group website:
https://www.hmc.edu/chemistry/faculty-and-staff/robert-j-cave/group-members/
You are listed in the early stalwarts.
I knew you were teaching high school science and always think how lucky those kids must be.
It ended like this:
I will look forward to seeing you at a next reunion, and even better, at a parent’s weekend. Bryan, I am SO glad you emailed.
He gave no indication that he was in poor health or had concerns of his own. But throughout that email Cave made me feel special, whether or not it’s warranted, and he reminded me why he was special.
Sharon Gerbode
Colleague
Bob was dean of faculty when I was hired at Harvey Mudd, and his warm heart, big smile and bigger laugh made me feel at home in the Mudd community. As my dean, Bob was an incredible resource and mentor, ever positive, ever encouraging. I felt he saw the best in me, and in everyone. His office was a place where I felt immediately comfortable, safe and supported.
When his term as dean ended, I was incredibly privileged to have Bob return to his office, right next door to mine. Those hearty laughs reverberated through our shared wall and brightened my days. There were many times when I walked back from class, feeling bad about something I could have done better, and he’d bellow out a warm “Hey neighbor!” that would lift my spirits. He would make time to hear about my day and offer encouragement and advice. We also loved to chat about research — I don’t think anyone else at Harvey Mudd has asked me more questions about my work than Bob did. He was a model colleague, an advocate for faculty and students alike, as well working intimately and respectfully with staff in his various roles.
When I returned to my office after the first year of the pandemic, his empty office awaited me. So many things have changed since March 2020, but missing my dear neighbor Bob has been the toughest part. I’m so thankful for the time I shared with him. What an incredible human being.
Noel D'Angelo '97
Student
I had professor Cave as a froshchem lecturer for both semesters. In addition, he was my lab instructor for second semester frosh chem Lab, in the spring of 1994. He was always willing to answer any question I had, and I had more than a couple! However, one day sticks out in particular.
It was a January day in 1994, and I had a question regarding the chemistry experiment we had to do that day. He was in a rush, and said he had to go, but he still found the time to answer my question. I soon learned that the reason he had to leave quickly, is because his son was born that very day! (Tragically, that was his son, Adam, who died in 2016). I’ve never forgotten that moment, and now I hope and pray they both are happily in Heaven.