Henry J. Landau

Come celebrate Henry's life with us: Sunday, March 21st, 11am Pacific Time. Please email hjlandaumemorial@gmail.com to request zoom invite info.

Henry was an inspiration: a scholar, a man of infinite curiosity and wisdom. He spoke seven languages including Chinese, Russian and Farsi. He was a mathematical genius, a loving father and husband, a member of his synagogue which he participated in with deep religious faith, and a dear friend and dedicated mentor to everyone he knew. He was also a man who would stop and thoroughly enjoy a flower growing on the sidewalk.

He survived the Siberian Work Camps in World War II and immigrated with his mother, father and brother George to the United States in 1945.

He graduated valedictorian from Bronx Science, won a Westinghouse finalist position at the National Westinghouse competition, graduated from Harvard with a BA (1953) MA (1955) and PhD (1957), earned a National Science Foundation scholarship, was twice a Visiting Member at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, published innumerable mathematical papers, and produced seminal research in mathematics with the Bell Laboratories for 40 years. After retirement, he taught mathematics at Teacher’s college at Columbia University.

Until his dying day he worried that he had not done enough, that to have received so much he owed so much more.

Beloved brother of George, dear cousin of Joe, devoted husband of 60 years to his late wife Julie, loving father of Jennifer and Zeph, and dear grandfather to Red, Sacha, Cayenn, Simone and Ever, affectionate uncle to nieces Camille, Florence and nephew Julien and their families, and mentor and friend to the entire extended family.

Do have something you'd like to share about Henry? Please email any remembrances or photographs to hjlandaumemorial@gmail.com . We'll try to compile and share appropriate material on the pages here (see links on top of site).