News Items

Prof. Emeritus Hiroshi Gunji passed away recently from a stroke. He retired in 2001.  He was a dedicated teacher of calculus, and not many semesters went by when he wasn't lecturing in a calculus course. 

Hiroshi received his PhD from Johns Hopkins University in 1962, under the direction of Jun-ichi Igusa. His thesis was entitled "Some properties of curves of genus 2 representing singular points of variety of moduli." He spent two years at Cornell University, then two years at the University of Saskatchewan before coming to Madison in 1966 as an assistant professor. Hiroshi did important research in number theory and had four PhD students during his tenure in Madison. He had an tremendous impact on our graduate program as chair for very many years of the graduate admissions committee.

One incident which shows how much Hiroshi was admired by his students occurred in a calculus course in which he was lecturing. Hiroshi was using a microphone with a wire attached and it would often get wound up around his feet. Students took up a collection to buy a wireless microphone, distributing leaflets which contained the words "Free Professor Gunji!"

For many years Hiroshi was an amateur artist, he and Josh Chover were close friends and often painted together.