WILFRID RALL

Thank you, Wil, for showing us how to think about electrical signals in dendrites; how to quantify the incredible complexity of these treelike structures; how to use insights from models to guide the interpretation of experiments; and how to do all of this with aplomb and good humor. You were our hero.

This last year, two groundbreaking papers demonstrate electrical recording from human dendrites showing unique proprieties. The analysis of these impressive results are based on Wil Ralls 1964 compartmental modeling approach. His legacy continues to shine and impact our understanding of ourselves. What a contribution!!

For me it is easy to remember Will Rall as I think of dendrites essentially every day and, when doing so, I am well aware that I "understand" neurons and their dendrites because of Will Rall. Then my own dendrites and synapses invoke other memories of his warm and human attitude - his attentive listening to me, his open mind to the human condition - his artistic breadth and depth. To his being such rare a person - that I miss him a lot. And I am proud that, with John Rinzel, Gordon Shepherd...

Wilfrid Rall was my external Ph.D. examiner. When I met him at the N.I.H. in 1992 he was very enthusiastic about my work in extending his tapering cable modelling efforts with Steve Goldstein. He will be sadly missed by the theoretical neuroscience fraternity worldwide.

50 years ago, Will Rall and Gordon Shepherd published a paper on the theoretical reconstruction of field potentials and dendro-dendritive interactions in the olfactory bulb which predicted a type of synapse not yet observed experimentally in the mammalian brain. The prediction was based on an approach Rall invented to modeling neuronal dendrites that remains today at the basis of almost all efforts to build biologically realistic models of neurons. This work was seminal and fundamental,...

Wil was a terrific mentor and scientist and a most kind individual, generous with his time. His intuition was legendary. He greatly influenced my career and I feel most fortunate to have worked with him. He will be missed.

Those of us who had the privilege of knowing and working with him regarded Wil as more than a great scientist who revolutionized our field. He was a warm human being, universally respected by everyone with whom he came in contact. For me personally, Wil was a true friend and a major influence on my scientific career from the very beginning.

Wil was a curious, gentle, and considerate man. As a young scientist, I worked in the same overall branch at NIH: Wil was the model of what a scientist should be - modest, thoughtful, and totally absorbed by his quest to understand his piece of nature.