Where is Selfadjoint? Answers to Your Questions

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AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around the sudden disappearance and subsequent passing of a respected member known as selfAdjoint (SA) from the Physics Forums community. Initially, members expressed concern about his absence, speculating on his well-being due to his age and personal circumstances, including the loss of his wife. As the conversation progressed, it was revealed that SA had passed away on December 10, 2006, while on vacation with family. This news prompted an outpouring of grief and tributes, highlighting his contributions to the forum and the impact he had on many members. Plans for a memorial page were discussed, allowing members to share memories and express their condolences. The community reflected on SA's wisdom, kindness, and the significant loss felt by both his family and the forum. Many members shared personal anecdotes, emphasizing his role as a mentor and friend, and expressing hope that he found peace. The thread concluded with a collective mourning and a desire to honor his memory through shared tributes.
  • #51
This is awful news.
It's been quite some time since I checked the forums, and I came across this thread by accident. Too sad we didn't come to know earlier. I never knew SA was that old. His wisdom and gentleness will truly be missed. May his soul rest in peace.
 
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  • #52
Oh wow. I feel kind of sad now. selfAdjoint and chroot are my favorite mentors.
 
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  • #53
I never looked at this thread before, until being directed here from another one. Although we never really interacted much, SA was one of my favourites. It surprised me to find out his age status; I always got the impression that he was in his 20's or 30's. Thinking and acting young might have been one of his better skills. Being an atheist, I'm not going to offer any platitudes. I'll say what I say about anyone else who mattered to me: I don't mourn his loss; I celebrate having had him in my life. We're all better off for having experienced his thoughts.
 
  • #54
I've been away for a while myself, 'other' commitments, so it's come as a real shock to find this thread. Although I've only been here a relatively short time and didn't really know SA, it is a sad day whenever a colleague; close or otherwise departs. May I wish SA and his wife everlasting peace and happiness. A sad loss, not only to PF but I'm sure to those who had the pleasure of calling him their friend.

Rest in peace SA.
 
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  • #55
I'm new in this forum and did not know SA but I found this poem and wanted to share this with others.May SA rest in peace.

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you wake in the morning hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starlight at night.

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there, I did not die!

By: Mary Frye (1932)
 
  • #56
I hope the forum administrators are planning an "In memoriam"-page to selfAdjoint. He was one of those who deserves such a recognition.
 
  • #57
arildno said:
I hope the forum administrators are planning an "In memoriam"-page to selfAdjoint. He was one of those who deserves such a recognition.
Yes they are - see chroot's post (#15) and Greg's subsequent comment.

SA and I exchanged a few PMs last year. He was quite a remarkable person.

He was looking forward to time with the granddaughters, one of whom turned 1 just after he passed away. :frown:
 
  • #58
SA was an asset to this forum. He would be certainly be greatly missed. May his soul rest in peace.
 
  • #59
Ye will be missed.
 
  • #60
:cry: :cry: This is a great loss to all of us. :cry: :cry:
Sad news, indeed. :frown:
Rest in Peace, selfAdjoint. You'll be missed.
 
  • #61
Danger said:
I'll say what I say about anyone else who mattered to me: I don't mourn his loss; I celebrate having had him in my life. We're all better off for having experienced his thoughts.
Yes! That's what I say! But I am surprised that I felt a hint of sadness. I didn't even know him. Maybe he just seemed like such a great guy or something.
 
  • #62
There'll always be sadness when someone that you are used to having around isn't there any more, no matter how little you might have known him. Don't be surprised by it; it's human nature.
 
  • #63
This thread ought to be sent to his family. The fact there are so many people who respected him greatly would be a great comfort to them.
 
  • #64
This [from last June] came to mind the other day.

Ivan Seeking said:
I for one don't want to be lying in my death bed thinking of what might have been. Follow your dreams and make them happen. That's what mom was saying as well.

selfAdjoint said:
AMEN BROTHER! WHen you're at the "asymptotic" end of your life, only a few things matter. Up in Beyond the Standard Model Marcus posted Leigh Hunt's "Jenny Kissed Me" (prompted by me). That poem ends

Say I'm weary, say I'm sad,
Say that health and wealth have missed me,
Say I'm growing old, but add
Jenny kissed me.
 
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  • #65
Sorry to hear about Boulderhead and selfAdjoint - my sincere thoughts of compassion to their families and friends.
 
  • #66
Some members simply dissapear.
For instance,this member:
https://www.physicsforums.com/member.php?u=112

What happened with Zero?

Making over 1500 posts and then simply to disappear doesn't make sense to me.Unless...
 
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  • #67
tehno said:
Some members simply dissapear.
For instance,this member:
https://www.physicsforums.com/member.php?u=112

What happened with Zero?

Making over 1500 posts and then simply to disappear doesn't make sense to me.Unless...
Actually, Zero had somewhere around 8,000 posts, but most were dropped off after we decided not to count P&WA posts (He was the mentor I replaced).
 
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  • #68
Is he well?
 
  • #69
We don't know what happened to Zero. IIRC, he found a girlfriend, moved to Florida, and disappeared without a word shortly thereafter.
 
  • #70
tehno said:
Is he well?
We don't know. He had just moved to Florida with a new job he loved, was working met a new girlfriend and then we never heard from him again.

We hope he's happy and too busy to let us know what happened, but he was so involved here that it doesn't seem right that we would not have gotten at least one goodbye.
 
  • #71
His last activity gives that he was on here less than a year ago . . .
 
  • #72
Hmmmm, that doesn't seem right. Perhaps that date results from a system reset. His last post was over two years ago.
 
  • #73
chroot said:
Hello everyone...

It is with my deepest regret that I must inform you all of the very sad news we received this morning. selfAdjoint passed away on the 10th of December, 2006, apparently while on vacation in Florida with his family. We know very little else about the circumstances, yet are hoping will we eventually learn that he spent his last days happily with his family.

His passing is certainly a terrible loss for his family, friends, and PF too. We are planning to compose a special memorial page for him to be hosted here on PF. At this time, we welcome you all to contribute a quote, a link to a favorite thread, or a message of gratitude. We will assemble these kind words into a permanent memorial recognizing our appreciation of his friendship, guidance, and generosity.

May he rest in peace. We will all miss him dearly.

- Warren

That's so sad! I couldn't believe that at 1st:frown:
 
  • #74
SelfAdjoint.

The Earth is a lesser place at your passing
May you find rest & peace in your place of abode
We miss your wisdom & insight
Thank you for sharing part of your life with us
Rest in peace
 
  • #75
SA,

Your posts were always the epitomy of levelheadedness. I hope that you have found a better place surrounded by your friends, family and anyone else who will benefit from your sage advice.

DT
 
  • #76
SelfAdjoint was DickT

For anyone interested in reading some of SelfAdjoints post in the old String Theory Discussion Forum where he went by the handle DickT, http://www.superstringtheory.com/forum/forums_i.html"

Here's an http://www.superstringtheory.com/forum/scirelig/messages/261.html" from the Science and Religion threads:

...As I have posted before, I am a practicing Christian, converted from agnosticism by an intense religious experience. I tend to think of the Universe as (analogy only!) a superposition a la Schrodinger's cat of Faith and Reason. They are not in any way intermingled, but our state is somehow the unity of the separate each of them, if you see what I mean.

Rest in peace SA
 
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  • #77
The responses to this thread have touched me. I started missing SelfAdoint
back in February and tried to figure out what happened. I couldn't accept
that somebody posting anonymously could simply "disappear". I finally found
this thread including the sad answer that I was already expecting... Below
some personal info I found back in February searching his posts:
Self Adjoint…

He was a widower, living in the town of Greenville (Fox cities) Wisconsin,
He was born in Maryland, August 7, 1933. He, as we know now, passed
away December 10th 2006 at the age of 73.

He has a BA in mathematics from Butler University in Indianapolis.
Followed grad school at the University of Wisconsin, Madison in mathematics
(Algebraic Topology) in the early 60's. He left grad school in 1966 and took
a job as a programmer analyst at a manufacturing company, He worked
as a database administrator for a number of companies like FMC and
Marshal Fields.

His passion was physics at every level as his 8000+ post so clearly show.

He met his wife Mary Ann at the Christmas party of the department manager.
Their marriage lasted 34 years until she died. Has a daughter named Pam born
on Aug 9th who did Industrial engineering at Marquette. He has a married
son with a 7 year old daughter Nikki born in Sep 1999 and 1 year old daughter
Elizabeth born on Dec 21 2005. He has lived also in Southern California,
Indiana and Illinois.

He was originally a Protestant to become a Catholic later which he has been
for a major part of his live. He had his agnostic periods as well.

After 8232 posts his users profile shows: Last Activity: 12-03-2006 03:34 PM


Regards, Hans
 
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  • #78
  • #79
Thanks so much for sharing those details Hans. It's nice to be able to know more of the man behind the nickname.
 
  • #80
BTW selfAdjoint knew a lot of poetry and also classical Latin which he would quote in unexpectedly appropriate ways, usually to humorous effect.
Oddly what I remember right now are not the humorous but more serious. Here is a poem I remember him quoting:
Leigh Hunt. 1784–1859

Jenny kiss'd Me

JENNY kiss'd me when we met,
Jumping from the chair she sat in;
Time, you thief, who love to get
Sweets into your list, put that in!
Say I'm weary, say I'm sad,
Say that health and wealth have miss'd me,
Say I'm growing old, but add,
Jenny kiss'd me.

===================

another time he quoted a Latin adage something like:
Fiat justicia ruat caelum.
and said that some folks subscribed to that but his attitude was different. (You shouldn't always insist on justice, if it was going to cause the heavens to fall or destroy the republic.)

What I can remember is only a small sample of his genial erudition, which made discussing with him especially enjoyable. I would value anything like this that other people remember.
 
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  • #81
Sad news that I just heard from the grapevine. I know I've disappeared a bit recently, too, which I suppose means Philosophy has gone to all hell since we were the two patrolling it. I hope everyone knows that 0TheSwerve0 is my girlfriend, and if one of us disappears, just ask the other what gives.

He was one of the very first to respond to me, too, and I learned a great deal from him. The number of topics he knew in relative depth was staggering. A true lifelong learner.
 
  • #82
Im extremely saddened to hear of his passing. One tends to learn a lot about an individual after so many postings, and he was one of the people I had the highest respect for. A big loss for PF and the world has one less passionate thinker in it, truly a rare breed.
 
  • #83
Rest in peace , selfadjoint.
 
  • #84
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
 
  • #85
:'(

My message to too short.Edit: Is it bad that I am probably more upset about some physicist that I hardly knew who died then I would be if a family member die?

Although I'm not -that- upset, I'm more upset right now then I have been for years.
 
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  • #87
Greg Bernhardt said:
Just bumping this thread to make note that we have put up a library item as memorial. Please add your memories and comment.

https://www.physicsforums.com/library.php?do=view_item&itemid=81

Great idea, Greg.:approve:EDIT: I just realized that the new friends system is listing SA as having "not made any friends yet." The is obviously NOT the case. If anything SA should be listed as having more friends than any other member! I believe, if possible, we should add ourselves as friends. Greg, is there any way to get into the system and approve friend requests for him?
 
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