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Raphael Littauer Obituary
ITHACA - Raphael Littauer, Emeritus Professor of Physics at Cornell University, died peacefully Monday, October 19, 2009. His wife of 55 years, Alexandra Littauer, preceded him in 2005. He leaves his children, Ben Littauer and Celia Clement; his in-law children, Kathy Kerby and Dan Clement; his grandchildren, Ariana, Rachel, Ross, Andrew, and Jeffrey; and his dear companion of three years, Renée Rollin.
Born in Leipzig, Germany in 1925, Raphael received his doctorate from Cambridge University before Bob Wilson brought him to Cornell in 1950. His long career at Cornell demonstrated his strengths in research, teaching, the arts, and leadership, as well as a strong social conscience.
Professor Littauer, honored with several Cornell teaching awards, is remembered by thousands of Cornell physics students for his exciting lectures, with an emphasis on understanding, not formulas. He invented the student response system that he (and his children!) installed in lecture room Rockefeller B in 1971. This system, which is still in use and has been widely emulated, allowed him to poll the class to see how well they were understanding his lecture's concepts, and let him adjust his presentation accordingly. After his second retirement, Raphael was involved with enhancing Physics 101, including developing interactive on-line tutorials, revamping the testing structure, and investigating the use of games as a teaching aid.
As a researcher, Raphael focused on accelerator physics. He was a key member of the teams that built the Cornell synchrotron and later the Cornell Electron Storage Ring (CESR) and the colliding beam machine. In 1995 he was awarded the Robert R. Wilson Prize in Accelerator Physics for the introduction of pretzel orbits as a means for increasing the number of bunches in the accelerator, and hence the luminosity.
Raphael was an accomplished musician. He played piano, cello, and recorder, and was also a conductor. He enjoyed photography, which he used in his extensive world travels, as well as on birding trips with Alexandra. He spoke three languages fluently, and was conversant in two others.
Professor Littauer chaired the physics department in the mid-1970's, and was always a leader in projects with which he was involved.
Outraged by the US involvement in the Vietnam War, Raphael, Alexandra, and their children were regular marchers in demonstrations. He was the lead author and editor of "The Air War in Indochina," a quantitative study of the amount and effects of bombing in Southeast Asia. He was disappointed that he was not mentioned on Nixon's Enemies List.
Raphael traveled extensively with his family, with Alexandra, and with Renée, including extended stays in Australia, Italy, and France. He led a very active life, with interests in skiing, sailing, water-skiing, diving, squash, and tennis.
All who knew him will miss Raphael, his warmth, his wit, his keen intelligence and his wonderful stories.
Funeral arrangements under the care of Bangs Funeral Home are private. No gifts or flowers, please. Donations in Raphael's name may be made to the United Way of Tompkins County.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Raphael Littauer
Corinne Paulais-Bortzmeyer
October 17, 2021
Remembering all of you with the warmest sympathy
Peter Ang
March 30, 2010
Dear Ben and Celia,
I am very very sad to learn of Raphael Littauer's passing. I googled Raphael Littauer just now after having stumbled on the sad news that another physics professor of mine at Cornell, Richard S. Galik passed away in October 2009. Prof. Littauer taught me undergraduate Physics 112 and I looked forward to every single lecture. He was my favorite teacher at Cornell. Prof. Littauer had a very dramatic act to explain resolving forces by climbing up a ladder against the wall until it slipped. In 1994, eight years after graduating, I visited Cornell with my wife (also named Celia) and attended a Physics 112 lecture where coincidentally Prof. Littauer was again demonstrating his risky ladder act. I had dinner with him once at Balch Dining Hall and he told me how he was lucky to get out of Germany early. He was of a great generation who sought truth and imparted knowledge and kindness.
Mariea Noblitt
January 7, 2010
Dear Ben and Celia: We were very saddened to learn about Raphael. We made some wonderful memories at the Lake house and being with them both. We have bird feeders around our sun room and I often think of Alex and Raphael and their love of caring and watching birds. Jim and Mariea Noblitt
November 8, 2009
Dear Ben,
Please accept my condolences to you and your family on the loss of your father. Although I did not know him personally, I have known his name for many years through my work in Cornell’s Peace Studies Program. The study he led, published in 1972 as The Air War in Indochina, made an important contribution to ending that war by documenting the devastating effect of bombing on the civilian population. Although long out of print, the study is still in demand, and, in fact, appears on the syllabus of courses at the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama, where, one hopes, the students might learn the right lessons from it. Before being reprinted in a revised edition by Beacon Press, Professor Littauer’s study appeared as the first publication of the Peace Studies Program, founded in 1970. The Program is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a conference in April. It is a shame that we will not be able to invite Professor Littauer to the celebration, but we will certainly honor his memory and acknowledge his valuable work.
In sympathy,
Matthew Evangelista
Ithaca
Corinne Paulais-Bortzmeyer
October 31, 2009
I was so saddened to learn of your father's death.I keep the warmest memories of both your father and your mother.I've been in touch with them through all my life since 1968 when I spent 2 years at Cornell.I'll always think of them.I remember so well your father ,he was a very considerate person and I admired very much.
My most sincere condolences to both of you and your families.
Corinne
Ronald Lutz
October 30, 2009
Hello Ben,
Very sad indeed to learn of your Dad's departure to the big accelerator in the sky. He was my boss when I worked for the synchrotron as a grad student. He taught me more in 6 month than the EE school in five years. We stayed in contact and met from time to time in Ithaca and Paris. Your Dad was certainly on my most admired list for many reasons. Like many others, I will miss him.
My sincere condolences,
Ron
Pete Ditmars
October 27, 2009
Dear Ben,
I was very sorry to hear of Raphael's death. While I cannot claim to have known him except from an occasional visit, he impressed me as being a genuinely nice guy and a loving father. I am sure that you will miss him terribly. You have my deepest sympathy.
Robin Price
October 27, 2009
Dear Celia and Ben,
I was so saddened to hear of your father's passing. I have a very special place in my heart for both your parents. I first met your father in 1980, in Paris where I was studying for six months. Your mother was my French language teacher at Cornell and I was so fortunate that your parents were spending a sabbatical in Paris at the same time. I remember feeling lonely and a bit lost in Paris. Whenever I got together with your parents, those feelings disappeared.
I have very fond memories of visits to the Lake house over the years by myself and with my husband and my two daughters. Jackie, my oldest daughter has vivid memories of Raphael showing her baby ducklings right outside the screened in porch and of walks with Raphael at Taughannock State Park listening for the various bird calls. Of course I remember and treasure these events and more. When I think of your father, I remember most his warmth, his humor, and his lovely smile. For a man so talented and so well regarded, he was so unassuming and modest. He always made me feel so welcome wherever we were. I feel so privileged and blessed that I knew him and your mother.
My thoughts and deepest sympathies are with you,
Robin Price
Claude Rollin
October 26, 2009
Dear Ben and Celia:
I was so sorry to hear about Raphael's passing last week. It was a real shock to me. He was such a brilliant and wonderful person with so many amazing talents. My earliest memories of him were during the summers we spent with your family on Lake Cayuga. Your father taught me to water ski from the dock behind your house, which was no easy task. He was always very kind, considerate amd loving, particularly to my mother over the last few years, for which I am most greatful. I know this must be an incredibly hard time for you. Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you and your families.
Claude
John Sadoff
October 26, 2009
Dear Ben and Celia:
I have some of the fondest memories of my childhood with you and your parents. Our summers at the lake were priceless! One memory that stands out was Raphael teaching me how to water ski...his patience was limitless! I am so glad that I was able to spend some time speaking with him at my parents anniversary party a few years ago. My thoughts are with you all at this difficult time.
John
Andy Delbanco
October 25, 2009
Dear Ben and Celia,
Your father was a marvel. I will always think of him as having a permanent twinkle in his eyes-- somehow expressing without words his vast pleasure in learning and teaching and in life in general. His warmth toward my parents, in good times and bad, was a treasure in their lives.
I mainly saw him--and you--at Thanksgiving, when he would bring the family to Larchmont. It was always a pleasure to hear his greeting at the door and to have him with us. He made the holiday all the happier for all of us. I also remember visiting in Ithaca as a child, and taking a tour with him of the physics lecture room that he had fitted with a response system by which he could determine if the students were understanding the key points of his lectures. I remember very vividly his delight that he had found a way to help them learn better. This devotion to figuring out ways to serve the young and thereby improve the future was typical of him. (My other vivid memory of visiting in Ithaca is of his sheer delight at shooting off water rockets at the lake--the closest he ever came, I imagine,to "weapons development.") Your father was a wonderful man. He illuminated the lives of everyone who knew him.
Deepest condolences to you both,
Andy Delbanco
October 25, 2009
my depply condolence to your father and grandfather, who I loved a lot even if I haven t seen them really since I was a teenager..But we were used ta hear them on the phone once or twice a year, and I steel remember both their voice...Nothing to say when pain is there..So just lots of love and courage for all of you.
October 25, 2009
the message was from AnnaBurstein
again , because its the third message..I remember Raphalex's voices and I loved them.
Love and courage to all the family
October 25, 2009
the message was from Anna Burstein..I lost my message:
I was saying and sending all my love to the family of Raphael who I knew since I was born ans Even if I haven t seen him since I was a teenager, I was used to hear his voice and Alex as well, every year on the phone.So I remember their voice. Love and courage beacause it s always hard..too much hard.. Anna
Chris Tennant
October 25, 2009
I had the amazing opportunity to do research with Raphael in the fall of 2000 while an undergraduate at Ithaca College. I remember him patiently and enthusiastically teaching me in between bites of his lunch. I also remember barely being able to keep up with him as we walked through Wilson. It was only several years later that I realized just how eminent a physicist Raphael was, and I find it incredible that he was so generous with his time. He had such a warm personality. It was largely due to his influence that I continued my studies in accelerator/beam physics.
Peter Zimmer
October 25, 2009
Ben,
I am sorry to learn of the passing of your father. You and your family are in my heart and prayers.
-Peter
October 24, 2009
Ben, Celia, and family,
My condolences to you all. I met and worked with Raphael starting in 1984 as a technician in the Physics Department at Cornell. His enthusiasm for creating "hands on" teaching labs was incredible and contagious. I'll always have fond memories of him "bursting" into my office with a new idea to try. He would draw out these ideas on my blackboard, or on any paper that was available. His work with adding computers in 1988 in labs with sound, force, and thermometry are still in use. We all enjoyed his many stories, especially his way of telling them. His warmth, big smile, and his want to make learning more fun, more memorable will live on with all off us who had the honor of working beside this wonderful man. He will always be in my heart and my memories.
Warm thoughts,
Vince Kotmel
Cornell Physics Undergraduate Lab Mgr.
Mike Foote
October 24, 2009
When I think of Raphael I remember the times I joined his family for dinner, especially sitting around the table afterwards having wonderful conversations. He seemed to know something (actually, quite a lot) about everything. The family custom of putting a bin of excellent chocolate on the table helped keep the conversation flowing.
hélène Claude Burstein
October 24, 2009
For us RAPHALEX, they were our american relatives;we remenber our visit to the house on the lake, all the moments we spent together feeding the birds, to go to Ithaca was to be with Raphalex. We hope now will be in touch with their Celia and Ben . In Paris you have a home.Claude et Hélène Burstein
Emmanuelle Burstein
October 24, 2009
I named my first son Raphaël after him because since I met him (when I was 7) he always impressed me by the beautiful man he was. With his wife, Alexandra, they were a model of the ideal couple. I use to play duets (piano and flute) with him when I came to visit from France. I always brought him chocolat noir avec des noisettes Cote d'Or! Since Alexandra 'my american mother left, he was very close to me and I appreciate that very much. I'll keep him in my heart with Alexandra.
Special thoughts to my beloved american family (Littauer and Clement).
Manou
Emmanuelle Burstein
October 24, 2009
I named my first son Raphaël after him because since I met him (when I was 7) he always impressed me by the beautiful man he was. With his wife, Alexandra, they were a model of the ideal couple.I use to play duets (piano and flute) with him when I came to visit from France. I always brought him chocolat noir avec des noisettes Cote d'Or! Since Alexandra, my american mother left, he was very close to me and I appreciate that very much. I'll keep him in my heart with Alexandra. I have special thoughts to my beloved american Littauer and Clement family.
Manou
Celia, Kathy, Raphael, Dan
Kathy Kerby
October 24, 2009
To everyone who knew Raphael,
Raphael's children and grandchildren would be exceedingly grateful if you could share a story about Raphael. Taking the time to write down a memory, be it pages or only a couple of sentences, would be a wonderful gift to honor Raphael. We will be collecting the stories, and if you would like a copy of the collection, please note that. Post your story here, or email it to: [email protected] (Raphael's daughter-in-law Kathy Kerby).
Paul Horwitz
October 24, 2009
I knew Raphael only briefly but for two very different reasons. I first met him when I was a postdoc at Cornell in the late Sixties. Subsequently, I became involved in pre-college science education research, and it was in that capacity that Raphael contacted me. I remember several enlightening and endearing conversations with him concerning the "cognitive revolution" in physics teaching that resulted from the discovery that even students who excelled at solving standard problems often floundered when confronted with seemingly simple questions that probed for deep conceptual understanding.
I remember him fondly as a warm and caring human being.
Ben Littauer
October 24, 2009
Request from Ben & Kathy: PLEASE CONTRIBUTE TO THE GUEST BOOK!
We are especially looking for stories from Raphael's youth, as he was always too busy to record these - always moving forward! But we'd love to capture some of these stories.
Massimo Placidi
October 24, 2009
Dear Ben and Celia,
Please accept my deepest sympathies for your loss. The news of your Father passing saddened me although I was prepared in a sense.
Raphael and I were exchanging news rather regularly but I got no answer to my last email. I imagined He was sick.
I first met you all as a family, back to 1965 or so, in Frascati. I was a young physicist working at the ADONE storage ring and Raphael, Alexandra and you, very young at the time, were all there. One day we all went to the nearby lake and Raphael initiated me to water skiing. I fell but told him I could manage to reach back the beach swimming...I hardly made it!
Later I moved to CERN and Raphael was invited to spend some time there. We worked together at a project connected to the tune measurement at the LEP Accelerator.
All this created an atmosphere of mutual respect and appreciation that kept going on with time.
Recently, about one year ago, Raphael wrote a very nice letter to support my application for a Green Card. This was successful and now I can stay and work in the US.
He wrote to me about spending peaceful time with Renee. I wish to extend to her too my friendly thoughts.
Raphael was a Great Friend and I am missing Him deeply.
Thank you for including me in your thoughts.
David Ferrero
October 22, 2009
Dear Ben and Celia:
I'm very sorry to hear of your father's passing. My family has fond memories of spending time at your father's pier: skipping rocks, jumping, watching fireworks. We have a heart-shaped stone from the lake near your father's home. Although I never met him personally, I know his best legacy is captured in his children.
Your friend,
David
Stephen Falk
October 21, 2009
Dear Celia: I just got the sad news of your father's death. Please accept my deepest sympathies, and those of my family. My mother has become a friend of your cousin Irmgard Muller. We were all in Carol Woods at the same time around Pesach, I believe. I hope we can meet soon. I am sorry not to have had a chance to meet your parents.
Your cousin,
Stephen
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