Comments on: Bob Borrelli

By: Nicholas Steinhoff

Nicholas Steinhoff — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 23:53:37 +0000

I’ll miss Dr. Borrelli greatly – I’m glad my wife had a chance to spend a day with the two of us on campus last year. Bob and Ursula were always so kind to me during the countless hours I spent in their home during my years in Claremont.
A genuine giant of a man, in more ways than one, will be so missed at the Harvey Mudd campus and by his wonderful family.

By: François Rocaries

François Rocaries — Tue, 05 Nov 2013 15:13:46 +0000

J’ai rencontré Bob pour la première fois lors d’une de ses années sabbatiques à Paris. Il n’a eu de cesse ensuite de me faire venir à ��Ƶ pour lui rendre la pareille.
Grace à lui et à Ursula j’ai passé une merveilleuse année à Los Angeles. Ils m’ont permis de m’intégrer à merveille au sein de la communauté d’Harvey Mudd et de profiter au maximum de cette période de ma vie.
J’ai, en ce moment même, ouvert sur mon bureau, un de ses livres sur les équations différentielles écrit avec son complice Courtney.
Je regretterai longtemps nos longs diners consacrés, entre autre, aux mérites respectifs de divers tire-bouchons et d’algorithmes de résolutions d’équations différentielles.
Au revoir Bob… et au revoir Ursula dont j’apprend en même temps la disparition. Aujourd’hui il pleut sur Paris comme un écho à ma tristesse.
I met Bob for the first time during one of his sabbatical year in Paris. He never stopped then bring me to ��Ƶ to return the favor.
Thanks to him and Ursula I spent a wonderful year in Los Angeles. They allowed me to integrate perfectly in the Harvey Mudd community and take full advantage of this period of my life.
I have, at this moment, open on my desk, one of his books on differential equations written with his friend Courtney.
I will miss our long long dinners devoted, among other things, the relative merits of various corkscrews and algorithms of solution of differential equations.
Goodbye Bob … And Ursula goodbye, as I learned at the same time your disappearance. Today it rains in Paris as an echo to my sadness.

By: Gary Kiefer

Gary Kiefer — Mon, 14 Oct 2013 02:46:30 +0000

As a Chemistry major, sophomore math was a requirement, but not my greatest strength. I was fortunate to have Bob Borelli as my section instructor. He shared his joy and love of math and teaching, until I too was having fun. How cool is that! I will miss Bob and his passion.

By: Jerome Spanier

Jerome Spanier — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 00:32:31 +0000

I am very saddened by news of Bob’s passing, and I am sorry that I was unable to attend the Memorial Service for him. I have known and admired Bob since my arrival in 1970. He was among the most energetic, involved and affable persons in Claremont and I learned much from He and I collaborated on a number of projects, both administrative (e.g., as co-Directors of the HMC-CGS math clinic) and technical. My wife and I enjoyed Bob & Ursula’s company at many social events over the years; especially those at which Bob conducted wine-tastings. Bob was instrumental in contributing to the HMC math program and very well-liked by students, faculty and others in prominent leadership positions in Claremont.

Thanks, Bob, for the fond memories; you will certainly be missed.

Jerry Spanier

By: Cynthia Souza

Cynthia Souza — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 02:41:29 +0000

Bob will always hold a special place in my heart. I supported Bob when I worked for the IT Department. I knew him for over 18 years, and he was one of our favorite Professors. We loved to see Bob coming down the hall. He was one of those people who made a difference and touched peoples lives in a very special way. He will be remembered for his cheery spirit, and dedication to Harvey Mudd. I was so sad to hear of his passing. Unfortunately, didn’t hear of it until after the service. Heartfelt sympathy to the family. Bob will definitely be missed. He was a truly wonderful person to work with all these years.

By: Scott Lange

Scott Lange — Sat, 21 Sep 2013 12:55:51 +0000

Above all Dr. Borelli enjoyed sharing math with all of us and used his own enthusiasm to spark ours. He worked very hard to make topics as clear as possible. It was obvious that he cared deeply for students.

By: Clyde Johnston

Clyde Johnston — Sat, 21 Sep 2013 12:01:52 +0000

We’ve all lost a larger than life guy. As President/CEO of Innosoft International, Inc. from 1991-2000 I’ll always remember Bob Borrelli as bright, fun, and a very committed and supportive Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Innosoft. Bob and Urusula Borrelli made the world a better place each and every day.

By: Bobby Berger

Bobby Berger — Sat, 21 Sep 2013 01:15:24 +0000

Professor Borrelli went out of his way to ensure I understood the subject. He introduced me to modelling & solving complex problems using computers as a tool which was influential in ALL my work thereafter. I will celebrate his life & pass on the great karma he gave me.

By: Jeff Groves

Jeff Groves — Fri, 20 Sep 2013 14:56:06 +0000

Bob was a great colleague. When I was a young faculty member at HMC, it quickly became clear to me that Bob had real pull at the institution. He helped to shape our college, especially in his work in the Mathematics Department, but also much more widely. But he was also just a very cool guy. I enjoyed running into him and having a quick chat–he was always interested, always curious. I’ll miss him.

By: Craig Watkins

Craig Watkins — Wed, 18 Sep 2013 19:05:12 +0000

While my senior advisor was, on paper, Courtney Coleman, it had become clear long before that that “Borelli and Coleman” meant either or both. Their text was used several years ago for a “more theoretical” DE subject at MIT, and the fact that I had taken a class at Mudd with the mimeographed manuscript notes (which I still have!) impressed many. It wasn’t until I starting teaching DEs with computational methods
that I fully appreciated how much I had learned without realizing it.

A few years ago I was asked to help referee a physics paper for the American Journal of Physics, cited the printed B&C text, and made a fan out of the former president of the American Association of Physics Teachers.

Of course, with Bob and Courtney, and the late Stavros, it wasn’t all just math. Others know of Bob’s devotion to wine, while others were more of the beer frame of mind, so to speak. Once at a party at John

Greever’s, Stavros had brought a bottle of homemade wine. Bob claimed it was good, the rest of us found it undrinkable, and Courtney was the only one to speak for the majority.

The night after the class of ’76 graduated, and the parents had been put to bed, one of our number decided to open a magnum of champagne given as a graduation gift. On our way to borrow ice from the chemistry department, we saw that the light was on in Bob’s office. We shared the champagne, and he just happened to have a bottle of better stuff in his desk drawer.
As I recall, our impromptu party broke up around 2AM.

Anyone who has used or can get a hold of their text will not be surprised to see the long example of using differential equations to decide on the best depth for a wine cellar.