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Robert J. Cave

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Memories of Robert

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Rachel Bittker 鈥�93

Chemistry Student

I’m so sad to learn of Prof. Cave’s passing. From my time at Mudd, I recall him as a smart, fun, empathetic person who was a joy to be around. I’m grateful to have had the privilege to know him. He will be sorely missed. May he and his family be at peace knowing he positively impacted many lives.

Evelyn Real

Colleague

I didn’t have the privilege to know Bob for very long but the few months that I did, really impacted me. While he was briefly the Academic Dean during my time at Mudd, I always enjoyed speaking with him and his warm demeanor. His boisterous laugh would fill our tiny corner of the office and I could never hold back my own smile when I heard it. He truly lit up a room when he entered it and I always enjoyed his good nature and energy that he brought with him everyday to DSA. Rest in paradise Bob.

Rilke Griffin 鈥�18

Student

Bob Cave was the dean of academic affairs as well as my chemistry professor when I was going through a very difficult time at Mudd. He was extraordinarily supportive, both as an administrator, a professor, and a mentor. He encouraged me and supported me to take time away from school to care for my mental health, and he was very open and understanding. I maintain that he saved my life that year. His support, his trust and belief in my abilities was a constant source of motivation for me. He always had a smile and a hearty laugh to share, and I always looked forward to our chats in his office hours. We last caught up in July of 2020, and now I feel so grateful we caught up then.

Nabel

Staff at HMC

Bob had the warmest smile and the kindest heart. He had the best advice, and could always make our team laugh. We miss him!

Phil Szuromi 鈥�80

Friend, classmate at Caltech, and one of my authors at Science

I knew Bob from grad students days at Caltech and always enjoyed his cheerful disposition, and came to appreciate about the challenges of calculating excited states in our conversations about research. But my lasting memory of him was one of a Gordon Conference years later. We were among the very few working out at the same time at the college gym. Goodness, could he bench-press a lot of weight! He was as strong as he was smart and kind!

Bill Daub

Colleague and Friend

I first met Bob when he was a postdoc and visiting the west coast during a winter holiday. We had lunch over Chinese food and I immediately knew we would get along well together. He had a great sense of humor, was fun to talk with, 鈥� and had that infectious laugh. I was so pleased he agreed to join us at HMC. He was a wonderful teacher who brought both rigor and a contagious joy to the classroom. But most importantly he had a great ability to read students and work with them wherever they were in the classroom or in life. He never stopped searching for a deeper understanding about the things he knew to be true. I will never forget the phrase Bob used often, 鈥淚 wish I understood everything I know about that.鈥� Curious to the end, he was doing research the last time we spoke. I dropped by his office and we chatted behind masks, not knowing it was good-bye. Rest easy, my friend.

Karl Haushalter

Colleague

Bob was the very first person that I met during my interview at Harvey Mudd in 2002 and he immediately put me at ease with his warmth and humor. I distinctly remember him talking with me about going boogie-boarding with his sons at Newport Beach. During my candidate presentation the next day, he was smiling brightly at me the whole time from the audience and he laughed at all of my dumb jokes, which gave me a much needed confidence boost. Years later, as a faculty mentor, I often told my senior thesis students to look for Bob in the audience during their presentations and keep eye contact with him because it would give them good vibes for their talk.