[Maths-Education] Fwd: [HM] Luis A. Santalo (1911-2001)

[Patricio Herbst]

This sad piece of news is particularly touching to mathematics 
educators of Latin America. Santalo' was a vigorous supporter of 
mathematics education scholarship in Argentina and an active member 
of CIAEM (IACME) from its beginnings.
May he rest in peace.



>To: historia-matematica@chasque.apc.org
>From: "Fausto A. Toranzos" <fautor@sinectis.com.ar>
>Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2001 13:05:13 -0300
>Subject: [HM] Luis A. Santalo (1911-2001)
>Sender: owner-historia-matematica@chasque.apc.org
>Reply-To: historia-matematica@chasque.apc.org
>Status:  
>
>
>He was born in Gerona (Spain) in 1911. Nowadays, a street from
>Gerona is named "Don Lluis Santalo" with the Catal/an spelling
>of the first name. Yesterday, Thursday November 22, 2001, he
>died in Buenos Aires. He has lived in Argentina for more than
>sixty of his ninety years. In Argentina he married Hilda Rossi
>(a.k.a. Chichi) and they had three daughters, Alicia, Tesi and
>Claudia. He had been my teacher. One of his courses ("Seminario
>Elemental en Construcciones Geom/etricas") changed my life. After
>this course (forty years ago) I became a geometer. When he was
>24 years old (with a recent doctorate from Hamburg), he joined
>the Republican side of the Spanish Civil War. He was appointed
>Instructor of the pilots and bombers of the small Republican
>Aviation. He tried to explain to his pupils that they have to
>throw the bombs before the plane has reached the target, since
>the bombs would go forward while falling. "Wrong, Professor -
>objected a pilot - If I look down after I have thrown the bombs,
>I can see them falling backwards...". "A matter of relativity..."
>commented Don Luis with his dry catal/an humour.  Santalo created,
>in collaboration with Blaschke, Radon an other German mathematician,
>what is now known as Integral Geometry and Stereology. He was an
>outstanding mathematician, a wonderful teacher and a great man.
>May he rest in peace.
>
>Fausto A. Toranzos
>Buenos Aires

-- 

Dr. Patricio Herbst
Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education
The University of Michigan
4204E School of Education Building
610 East University Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1259
USA

phone 1-734-763-3745
fax 1-734-936-1606
e-mail pgherbst@umich.edu