James Wolfe Obituary

In Loving Memory
James H. Wolfe, a brilliant mathematician, influential professor, devoted friend, caring uncle, and loving husband, died peacefully November 15 in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was 96 years old.
As an undergraduate, James studied at the University of Utah. He became Professor of Mathematics there after obtaining his PhD from Harvard University in 1948. While living in Cambridge, James worked at MIT's radar research laboratory during WWII. His studies at Harvard involved geometric integration theory which resulted in Wolfe's Theorem, a current research topic in mathematical topology.
James was born in Salt Lake City. His father, James H. Wolfe, was Chief Justice of Utah's Supreme Court and his mother, Carolyn Williams Wolfe, worked with Eleanor Roosevelt in Washington, DC, where James attended high school. In his youth, James helped build the Wasatch Mountain Club lodge in Brighton, Utah and enjoyed riding his horse, Gabriel, in the canyons and upper avenues of Salt Lake.
At the University of Utah, James was a treasured teacher who learned all of his students' names within the first few days of class and provided meticulous notes for each lecture. Cryptically, mathematical symbols used in examples always reflected the names of those dear to him, especially his wife, Martha.
James married Martha Sue Chamberlain in 1957. Martha was his one and only true love, and lifelong friend. After a honeymoon in Ely Nevada, they not only built a life together, but built their house together in Emigration Canyon which they shared with generations of Siamese cats. James and Martha enjoyed touring the west and old mining towns and were always game for picnics in the mountains with friends.
James is survived by his sister, Katherine W. Streeper, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and numerous nieces and nephews.

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Published by The Salt Lake Tribune on Nov. 26, 2017.

Memories and Condolences
for James Wolfe

13 Entries

Susan wolfe

November 20, 2023

Best teacher in the universe! Took several graduate level math classes with this amazing man. He memorized everyone's name after reading the roll in a 30+ class. I was near the end and my last name is the same as his...I had figured out what he was doing by the time he got to me and I was amazed! He just asked me if there was any relation and I grinned and said I didn't think so. We were not sitting in any order, he literally memorized each name from the roll sheet he'd left on his podium. So thankful I got to take half a dozen classes with this amazing teacher. At one class I'd brought my 4 or 5 year old son to class. Before Dr. Wolfe arrived my son got on the black board and played teacher and the class was raising it's hand to answer and humor him. Dr. Wolfe walked in, I told my son to come sit down, & Dr Wolfe sais, "No Mom, let him teach...and sat down and played along for a bit and made my son so proud of himself...he is one in a million and I'll never forget him. sue wolfe.

Robert Bennion

February 1, 2018

I had several conversations with Jim about many things including his visit to Las Vegas as a child and his surprise at its growth larger than SLC as it was a mud hole that trip that was what he remembered. He was very generous to friends family and neighbors. Just over a year ago we went to assure his friend that her furnace would work ok while she was away for Christmas.

Don Griffee

January 28, 2018

He was truly a teacher without equal. What a joy it was to see him swoop through a door, plop his books on the desk, turn to the board, and write "Quiz". I took every class I could from him, and treasure the memories.

Laurie Hamblin

December 4, 2017

I will miss Uncle Jimmy. He was a caring man who wasn't afraid to tell me what he thought about anything, and his dry wit always made me laugh. He used to write letters outlining our family history and including funny comments. He loved sharing his knowledge, and had a great memory. I wish I had spent more time with him.

Chase Kimball

December 1, 2017

I posted this to Facebook:
*********
I was searching the obituaries today, and by sheer coincidence came across the obit of my old calculus professor, Dr. Wolfe. He was 96. I was just talking about him impliedly the other day when I noted he had given me a "B" in calculus, which astonished me at the time. And does now. He was one of my favorite professors ever, extremely dry humor that suited me perfectly. The first day of class, in about 1974, a gust of wind slammed the door, and he looked up from his desk in a puzzled manner and said "Did someone escape?" We were afraid to laugh because we didn't understand his sense of humor yet. Another time on a long hot afternoon he gazed out the window and said "I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end." He loved word puzzles, he had a series going with the word "pear." I said something clearly wrong to him once, astonishing I know, and his response was "A man who can figure out 'pare a pair of pears' is not easily fooled." His masterpiece was "Pierre's pere pared a pair of impaired pears." He once regaled us of a story about how he got stopped for speeding at something like 80 miles per hour, and he told the cop "That's impossible, I haven't been driving for an hour." He then started going into the mathematical reasons why he was not speeding and the cop walked away in despair without giving him a ticket. He was particularly proud of that. But the greatest proof that he was a modern saint, if any was needed, was that he gave me a "B" in calculus.

November 27, 2017

Jim was a a very positive influence to all of us who joined the University of Utah Mathematics Faculty in the late 1960's. He was a valued colleague, researcher, and, as many can attest, a superior teacher, as well.

Klaus Schmitt
Professor Emeritus of Mathematics
University of Utah

Dale Nelson

November 26, 2017

A great influence in my career as a math teacher finally back in Salt Lake at the community college.

Barry Cloward

November 26, 2017

Dr. Wolfe was such a great man! He went out of his way to help me when I was a struggling student in his class at the U. With his help I made it through the class and onward. He was brilliant. May you rest in peace!

Sue Wolfe

November 26, 2017

Professor Wolfe was an amazing teacher. I took several math classes from him in the late 80's. The man had an entire class of 60 students names memorized by the time he got to me. I noticed what he was doing (going from student to student chatting a bit) as we worked on a problem he had on the board. I was grinning from ear to ear when he got to me, smiled and asked "Any relation?" (my last name is Wolfe). I was AMAZED.

In one of my advanced theory classes I had to bring my 4 year old son to class (babysitter emergency) and while the small class waited, my son got up and started playing teacher, having the students name the shapes he put on the blackboard. Dr. Wolfe came in, and I motioned my son to come back to me, and Dr. Wolfe said, "No Mom, he's the teacher!" and he let him go on for several minutes before taking over the class again.

I toast Dr. Wolfe with a small blue unicorn (from the empty set). You will never be forgotten.

He will never be forgotten my me or my son.

November 26, 2017

A wonderful and unforgettable professor. I will always remember him with fond memories.

-Diane Brown

November 26, 2017

Best Math Professor in the UNIVERSE. Professor Wolfe (no relation) was an amazing influence on my life. I will never forget him letting my 5 year old son "Teach" his Advanced Set Theory class how to recognize shapes. Professor Wolfe will never be forgotten in our family.

Christy Brown

November 22, 2017

James was a neighbor who became a very dear friend over the years. He was very kind and helpful to my family. I will always remember him frequently checking in on my husband as he worked for two weeks to replace a sewer line, once sitting cross-legged in the bucket of the backhoe chatting with him down in a trench as he worked late at night by floodlight. It was a frustrating job and James' company made it more tolerable. We respected and loved James so much for his extraordinary kindness and compassion (including toward animals) as well as his incredible intelligence and totally delightful sense of humor. We feel honored to be among those who knew and loved this exceptional man.

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