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MORAWETZ--Cathleen Synge,
94, died peacefully at her longtime home in Greenwich Village on August 8, 2017. A woman of extraordinary achievement, she was an inspiration to her large and growing family. She loved sailing in Lake Muskoka, had a wonderful sense of humor and was as much at home proving a complex theorem as getting down on the floor to play with her grandchildren. As a pioneering woman in mathematics, she served as Director of the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University, President of the American Mathematical Society, where she was the first woman to deliver their distinguished Gibbs lecture, and was a recipient of the National Medal of Science. She was twice a Guggenheim Fellow and served as a Trustee of Princeton University and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Her numerous honorary degrees include Brown, Princeton, Trinity College Dublin, Duke, Smith and New York University. She was deeply proud of her Irish heritage, including her great- uncle, the playwright John Millington Synge and her father, the distinguished mathematician John Lighton Synge. She is survived by her husband of 71 years, Herbert Morawetz, her sister, Isabel Seddon, her children, Pegeen Rubinstein (David), John Morawetz, Lida Jeck (James), Nancy Morawetz (Manuel Vargas), her grandchildren, Eric (Lauren), William (Abigail), Daniel (Tiffany), Matthew, Alicia, Marisa, her step- grandchildren, Jeremy, Chris, Aupala and Keenan, her great-grandchildren, Xavier, Linus and Peter, and adoring relatives around the world. Contributions in her memory can be made to the Cathleen Synge Morawetz Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
5 Entries
While a junior colleague of your husband, Herbert, I had the very good fortune to meet and talk with you. You had a rich and fulfilling life on so many fronts, from mother to mathematician, and yet you took a rich, even earthy delight in life. I applaud you and thank you letting me see a tiny bit of your exciting life. We shall miss you.
William Winter
August 25, 2017
I've always admired her scientific and human qualities both and will treasure my memory of her.
Marco Isopi
August 12, 2017
What a great life story! All best to you and the entire family, John.
Bob Herrick
August 12, 2017
What an amazing life and legacy for your family! Best wishes to you all as you grieve and reflect and celebrate.
Chip Hughes
August 11, 2017
May your hearts soon be filled with wonderful memories of joyful times together as you celebrate a life well lived.
Sue
August 10, 2017
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