Robert Guyer

I was a student of Bob´s in his early years at Duke. I was in the class that he taught in Duke Hospital. That was quite an experience, following him around pushing an IV on a rolling pole. When I graduated, I found a non-academic position in Durham and lost track of him. I was glad to read of his long and fruitful life. I knew his wife Charlotte, but they had no children at the time.

I met Robert Guyer four years ago when we both moved to Promenade, an independent living community in Reno, NV. Promenade residents had just begun a monthly newsletter and I was asked by the editor to interview new residents. One of the first was Robert. I was daunted by the fact that he was a theoretical physicist; I had no idea what that meant so I admitted it to him. And he kindly gave me his definition. He described his work in geothermal energy (that he defined for me) and then on talk about hiis two daughters he was so proud of. It was a pleasant time with a lot of laughs, especially when he told me that he had had a very different "dream job" in mind for most of his life: he dreamed of playing center field in big league baseball, "maybe with the New York Yankees!" Robert was a delightful friend, interesting and funny and definitely one of the good guys. I miss him and can only hope that he is now playing center field in a dream team.

We are very sad to learn Professor Guyer's passing. Reading his life story of love for Physics and many aspects of it and his energy in teaching is truly inspiring to all his students. He will have a lasting legacy with all the research and hundreds of papers published as part of his life long work.
I have known Bob since 1969 when I was a Grad student in the Physics Department at UMass. I was luckily accepted as his first graduate student research assistant working on low temperature Physics. He just finished his fellowship studies at Harvard University then. It was thru his assistance a year later upon his recommendation to the University that I was granted a University Fellowship/ Scholarship towards a PhD degree under his advisory. To an aspiring foreign graduate student like me, it was an honor and a priviledge to have received it. I could not have afforded the years of graduate school financially without it.
Bob and then his wife Charlotte were always very kind and caring during the years we were at UMass, seeing us through our wedding and thru the years till my graduating from the PhD program. We had so many fond memories of him and his family with their beautiful daughters Markie and Josie. After leaving UMass , we managed to see him (and Charlotte and their two girls) a few times thru the years. Regrettably not enough and we wish we saw him more. Luckily, we did keep in touch with Markie and learned bits and pieces of his life through the social media.
We know Bob will be up there somewhere teaching Physics!
To Bob's family, we offer our sincere condolences and prayers!

From Colorado, Whittak and Mercedes Huang

I feel both blessed and cheated that I only knew Robert during the last two years of his life. We had many meals together and the conversation was always stimulating and enlightening and very random. We never knew what we were going to talk about, but I was always learning from him. He was a truly kind man and the world is a little grayer without him. Many thanks to his family and friends who shared him with us.

What sad news. I remember Robert as a discreet, humble and very attentive person who was ready to help and suggest new ideas in order to learn more and share knowledge with young researchers (which was my case when I knew him in 2004) as well as with more experienced researchers. My thoughts go out to his family and closest collaborators ...

Sad news. We will all miss him. It was our good fortune to know him.

My deepest condolences to Robert's whole family and to all of his closest friends.

I had the great chance of having him as a colleague, first at Los Alamos and, later, by his yearly visit periods in Zürich. He played a huge role in my development as a young scientist. His scholarly work still plays for me a huge role in my current research.

However, he was foremost a dear friend, who took always time to offer guidance when asked, also outside the merely scientific contest.

I'll preserve fond memories of our tradition of inviting each other for dinner in Zürich, with the observed rule of exploring every time a new place.

Thanks, Robert, for your generous friendship and your dedication to students and young (and also not so young) scientists, whose education and formation you impactfully contributed to.

Our Sincerest Condolences! Our thoughts and prayers are with this family and friends.

Robert was a remarkable physicist. One of his achievements was the foundation of nonlinear mesoscopic elasticity. He had an extraordinary gift for explaining complex concepts with clarity and simplicity. He had that rare ability to make complex problems understandable and to illuminate the beauty of physics.
His contributions to science and his generosity as a mentor and friend will be remembered with great respect and admiration.

I feel lucky to have known Robert and learned from him. I remember Robert for his unending passion for science and learning and for his kindness and care. He will always be one of my most favorite people.

Robert was a very kind mentor who very patiently took the time to explain difficult concepts. I am grateful for his assistance with my career path and grateful for his example and life lessons I learned from him.

It is a real loss. I knew Robert for years as one of the most broadly educated and kindest people I ever met. He will be remembered by so many colleagues and students. My warmest condolences to Katherine and his children.

Robert was a grand friend and my guide through many morning and Thursday afternoon discussions when I asked innumerable questions and, later, followed his guidance into further reading and studies. We shared our many memories of travel throughout the world, strangely finding we had shared similar experiences, gone to, eaten at, spent time at the same sites, restaurants, and museums. I miss him more than I can say. He was a shining star.