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Bjarni Jonsson (1920-2016)

Bjarni Jnsson, Vanderbilt?s first Distinguished Professor of Mathematics, 
died Sept. 30 at the age of 96.

Obituary by David Salisbury, 12 October 2016 
https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2016/10/12/noted-algebraist-bjarni-jonsson-dies/

Born in Iceland, Jnsson earned his bachelor?s and doctoral degrees from 
the University of California-Berkeley and also received an honorary degree 
from the University of Iceland. He was internationally recognized as a 
leading authority on universal algebra, lattice theory and algebraic 
logic.

In his career, Jnsson authored 89 technical papers and served on the 
editorial board of several major mathematics journals, including Algebra 
Universalis. He presented numerous invited talks at mathematics 
conferences around the world. In 1974, he was an invited speaker at the 
International Congress of Mathematicians. In 2012 he was elected an 
inaugural fellow of the American Mathematical Society. He was also the 
recipient of Vanderbilt?s Harvie Branscomb Distinguished Professor Award 
in 1974 and the Earl Sutherland Prize for Achievement in Research in 1982.

"Bjarni Jnsson was a remarkable mathematician who made field-defining and 
path-breaking contributions in universal algebra, lattice theory and 
algebraic logic. Anyone who had the fortune to know him admired his 
integrity, kindness and immense respect for colleagues and friends. His 
influence on my personal and mathematical life has been enormous, and it 
is a great privilege that I have had the opportunity to work with and 
learn from him," said Professor Constantine Tsinakis, a long-term 
colleague and a former chair of the mathematics department.

"To me Bjarni will always be a legend, who in his quiet, sincere, 
unassuming ways continues to inspire uncountably many algebraists, raising 
questions and re-examining areas that he feels would benefit from an 
algebraic approach," wrote Peter Jipsen, one of the doctoral students that 
Jnsson advised, on the occasion of his 70th birthday. "While some 
mathematicians almost revel in stringing together long complex arguments, 
Bjarni has constantly sought to simplify and illuminate the subjects dear 
to him," the professor of mathematics at Chapman University added.


Jnsson came to Vanderbilt in 1966 and taught here until his retirement in 
1993. When he arrived, mathematics was mostly an undergraduate teaching 
department. He was instrumental in establishing the department?s graduate 
program, which presently ranks among the top departments in the nation, 
according to the latest evaluation by the National Research Council. 
Jnsson also formed a research group in algebra that attracted 
mathematicians from around the world and contributed substantially to the 
high research profile that the department currently enjoys.

Algebra is the study of mathematical objects and the rules for 
manipulating them. Jnsson made his most important contributions in the 
area of universal algebra. It is one of the most abstract subfields of 
algebra because it studies algebraic structures in general, as opposed to 
specific classes of algebras, such as groups and fields. The importance of 
his contributions is reflected by the fact that a number of mathematical 
objects are named for him, including Jnsson and Jnsson-Tarski algebras, 
Jonsson cardinals, Jnsson terms, the Jnsson lemma and the Jnsson-Tarski 
duality.

During his tenure, Jnsson supervised 14 Ph.D. students. In letters they 
wrote for a symposium in honor of his 70th birthday, which took place in 
Iceland in 1990, his former students all expressed a deep appreciation for 
him as a "respected mathematical guide and personal friend."

One of the first students he supervised, Steven Monk, now professor 
emeritus at the University of Washington, recalled advice that he received 
from Jnsson regarding teaching: "Adventure is not in the guidebook and 
beauty is not on the map. The best one can hope for is to be able to 
persuade some people to do some traveling on their own.

"Bjarni's work and scholarly contributions will have a lasting legacy. His 
name will forever be interwoven in the history of our department. We are 
honored to have had him as a colleague," noted the current department 
chair, Professor Mike Neamtu.
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