In Memory Of
Obituary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frank Harary, one of the true pioneers of graph theory, passed away on January 4, 2005 in Las Cruces, New Mexico.  He authored or co-authored over 700 articles on many aspects of graph theory and its applications.  He delivered over a thousand lectures in more than 87 countries in four different languages.  Through the large number of mathematicians and mathematics students he knew and met, he had a major influence on the popularization of graph theory.  He was the supervisor of 16 doctoral students, many of whom have gone on to have distinguished careers of their own.

 

Frank was born on March 11, 1921 in New York City, received his Bachelors and Masters degrees from Brooklyn College in 1941 and 1945, respectively, and his Ph.D. in mathematical logic from the University of California in Berkeley in 1948.  He was a faculty member in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Michigan from 1948 to 1986, where he was also a member of the Institute for Social Research during 1950-1982.  He became Distinguished Professor (later Distinguished Professor Emeritus) in the Department of Computer Science at New Mexico State University from 1987 until he passed away.

 

His well-known 1969 textbook Graph Theory introduced graph theory to many.  He co-founded the Journal of Combinatorial Theory with Gian-Carlo Rota and founded the Journal of Graph Theory and served on the editorial boards of many journals.  He was a recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus and Lifetime Achievement Awards from Brooklyn College and five honorary degrees from five universities in five countries. 

 

Frank loved to travel and lecture on graph theory.  He had a marvelous memory of who did what and when.  Frank had a true love of the subject, always fascinated by the unexpected theorems and beauty it held.  He would often write BGT for “Beautiful Graph Theory”.  His influence on others to discover and enjoy graph theory earned him the unofficial title of the Ambassador of Graph Theory.  To many of his colleagues, friends, and students, he was Mr. Graph Theory.

 

Frank was not your typical mathematician, if there is such a thing.  He was a free spirit, always ready with an interesting, often comical, story.  He was kind, supportive, and encouraging to the people who knew him best.  He had a great love for classical music, theatre, and writing poetry.  He was a master writer.  Writing in a clear, concise, and interesting manner was essential to him.  He was working on his memoirs, “The Academic Hitchhiker”, when he passed away