GERALD E. SACKS

GERALD SACKS Obituary

SACKS, Gerald E. Age 86, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at M.I.T. and Harvard, died October 4 at his home in Falmouth, Maine, after a long illness. He was born in Brooklyn, a son of Irwin and Ethel Sacks, and graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School. He interrupted his college studies at Cornell University to serve in the U.S. Army from 1953-56, but returned and received his Ph.D. in 1961.

A logician whose most important contributions were in Recursion Theory, he was the author of four books and many treatises. His work was marked by "marvelous technical force and innovation," according to Theodore A. Slaman, professor of mathematics at UC Berkeley and one of his former students. He will be remembered for the Sacks Density Theorem in Computability Theory and Sacks Forcing in Set Theory.

Prof. Sacks was also a prodigious producer of mathematicians. He supervised more than 30 doctoral dissertations and helped to populate the mathematics departments of eminent universities with his students. In 1994, the Association of Symbolic Logic established the Sacks Prize in his honor. It is awarded annually to the most outstanding doctoral dissertation in mathematical logic.

He was known for his sense of humor. Friends and students loved his passion for jokes and were amazed by his immense knowledge of films.

Survivors include his wife, Margaret D. Philbrick; his four children, Matthew S. Sacks, Natalie R. Sacks, M.D. (John R. MacGregor, M.D.), and Paul M. Sacks (Kristen Kaplan) with his former wife Naomi Lavori, and Ella Raposo-Sacks with his former wife Luisa Raposo; three stepchildren, John Philbrick, Katherine Vorenberg, and Louise Philbrick; five grandchildren, Jacob S. MacGregor, Daniel, Kevin, and Harrison Philbrick, and Emma Vorenberg; and his brother, Michael H. Sacks, M.D. A Memorial Service will be held in the spring of 2020.

Memorial contributions to support the MGH Prostate Cancer Research Fund of Dr. Matthew R. Smith, may be sent to MGH, 125 Nashua Street, Suite 540, Boston, MA 02114.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Boston Globe from Oct. 8 to Oct. 9, 2019.

Memories and Condolences
for GERALD SACKS

8 Entries

Jonathan Duke-Cohan

May 8, 2020

I took two mathematical logic courses and a C++ course with Prof. Sacks, and loved his style of teaching, his humor, his insight and his sheer enjoyment of transmitting knowledge to others, the pleasure he got when it was apparent that the light bulb had switched on. The end-of-course pizza party, the quizzes of long C++ pointer constructs that usually pointed to the first bit in memory, the presentations by the students as to how logic might have impacted their daily lives or work - it was all a pleasure and he truly deserves the title of teacher - a man from a different time, a different era.

William James

February 9, 2020

professor sacks taught me mathematical logic, model theory, and set theory; what I learned, however, was how to be kind, tell a joke in good spirit, promote collaborative ideas, and accomplish understanding instead of being arrogant. professor sacks belongs to time now, but I preferred when he belonged to us.

william james

February 8, 2020

professor sacks taught me mathematical logic, model theory, and set theory; what I learned, however, was how to be kind, tell a joke in good spirit, promote collaborative ideas, and accomplish understanding instead of being arrogant. professor sacks is outside of out time now, but I preferred when he was with us.

Graça Valério

February 8, 2020

It was a pleasure meeting you ,as husband of my dear friend Luisa and father of Ella who has also a great sense of humour like you. You will live forever in the memories of those who met you, loved you and those who learned from from you. May those memories help your family in this time of loss. You are one of " aqueles que por obras valerosas se vão da lei da morte libertando" using the words of the great portuguese poet Camões in The Lusiadas. My condolences to your family.

Graça( Brussels)