Comments on: Goodbye Andrew Chamblin

By: Cosmic Variance

Cosmic Variance — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 05:54:07 +0000

First Andrew Chamblin Memorial Lecture

Just over a year ago, Clifford reported the shocking news that Andrew Chamblin, a wonderful young physicist, great guy, and a friend of a number of us at Cosmic Variance, had died. Many people used the comments section of that post to recount fond mem…

By: Memories, Physics, and Celebration - Asymptotia

Memories, Physics, and Celebration - Asymptotia — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 03:57:46 +0000

[...] That Saturday of celebration of Andrew’s work (The Andrew Chamblin Memorial Conference) at Cambridge was a remarkable experience. (See here for my first post on Andrew, with tributes.) I was exhausted through a good deal of it, since I had eight hour jetlag, but I’m so glad I went, and that I could contribute a talk. I met many old friends and colleagues, drawn mostly from the UK and European side of Andrew’s collection of friends, collaborators, and admirers in the field. [...]

By: Andrew Chamblin Memorial Conference | Cosmic Variance

Andrew Chamblin Memorial Conference | Cosmic Variance — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 22:04:35 +0000

[...] There will be a conference in memory of Andrew Chamblin at Trinity College, Cambridge, on October 14. The registration deadline is September 1. Anyone who knew or worked with Andrew is encouraged to attend. Andrew, a theoretical physicist who several of us here at CV knew very well, passed away in February, and there was previously a conference in his honor in Louisville in March. [...]

By: Angela Smith

Angela Smith — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 22:41:35 +0000

I am very grateful for this site and all the posts. I just learned of Andrew’s death today, in the Rice Classnotes, and came right online to see what else I could learn.

My one Andrew story fit for consumption is from the summer after his graduation from Rice. He was staying with his parents in Hinsdale, Illinois, and invited me to a theater in Chicago to see “A Brief History of Time”. I haven’t a single scientific bone in my body, but it was the best movie I’ve ever seen, thanks to Andrew sinking intp the back row with me and explaining every bit of it. (He also shared a great story about his encounter with Kurt Vonnegut.)

Andrew was always ‘My friend who studied with Hawking’ (as other non-scientists rarely know of Roger Penrose), which I was reminded of when I told the news to my mother and her first reply was ‘Oh, no, the one who studied with Hawking?’

It never failed to amaze me how Andrew could be so clearly brilliant yet unaffected, and rather than feeling an utter idiot, actually manage to make me feel more intelligent for finally understanding some tidbit of information he wished to impart. I cannot imagine the pain of those losing a close colleague; my heart and prayers go out to all of you.

By: Random grad student

Random grad student — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 15:45:09 +0000

I saw Andrew give a couple of seminars at Notre Dame where he was applying for a job. My impression was ‘Damn, this is a real physicist and cool person in one!’. I was seriously hoping he would move, but it was not to be. That a stranger can make such an impression so quickly says a lot.

By: Andreas Ritter

Andreas Ritter — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 17:35:59 +0000

When asked what I liked most about my time at University of Oxford I always said the international bunch of fellow students at Christ Church. And then I told the story about this very bright, extremly polite Texan physicist with whom you could discuss philosophy, time machines and the rest of the world but also play Bach sonatas.

By: Brett Sovereign

Brett Sovereign — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 14:45:33 +0000

I just learned of Andrew’s death through the Rice alumni site. I knew Andrew well through his undergraduate years at Rice, and kept in touch for most of our graduate time. It’s been almost 10 years since I spoke with him, and it’s a punch in the stomach realizing he’s gone. He was one-of-a-kind, and my life was enriched for knowing him. Your post and all the other comments on it show that I wasn’t alone in this feeling.

Brett Sovereign
brett.sovereign ‘at’ gmail.com

By: In Memory of Andrew Chamblin | Cosmic Variance

In Memory of Andrew Chamblin | Cosmic Variance — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 04:59:28 +0000

[...] You will recall that last month I went to a memorial service and all-day symposium for Andrew Chamblin, who died in February. (You can read much more in this link, particularly in the comment thread.) The memorial was in Louisville, Kentucky, where Andrew was on the Physics Faculty. Several of Andrews friends, colleagues and collaborators came to the event. The dominant component of the attendance was from people who were in either of the physics departments at Louisville, Lexington and Cincinatti, the three closest cities, which have physics links with each other (some of those links involved collaborations with Andrew). Andrew’s family and several close friends were there, and some physicists from further away, such as myself. There were also readings of the numerous letters that were sent and from other communications (e.g. from the thread of the post I did on this blog). These were from friends and colleagues from much further afield who were unable to make it to the memorial symposium and service. [...]

By: Tony Simpao

Tony Simpao — Sun, 26 Mar 2006 21:43:41 +0000

[Remarks removed by request. -cvj]

By: Dom

Dom — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 05:26:36 +0000

I hadn’t seen Andrew for some time and, having now left physics, it might have been some time until I saw him again. I have some fond memories, however, and was so very sorry to hear the news of Andrew’s untimely death. As I said to Jo in an email, I think the world will be a lesser place without him.

My overiding memories of Andrew were from the time he put me up in his place outside Los Alamos. I was sleeping on his floor when 9/11 happened, and awoke to him kicking me saying that the Pentagon had been attacked. We spent the rest of the day bar and restaurant hopping since he didn’t have a TV, and in the end we just went out and bought one. It was a surreal few days as you can imagine.

The following weekend, Andrew took me up to what I think were the Crestones in Colorado, which I think his brother Jonathan mentioned. I can’t be sure that was the place, but we certainly spent a couple of days hiking up a big mountain – at over 14,000 ft still the highest I’ve scaled. I remember getting the fear during a hairy bit at the top and having to sit and have a cigarette to calm the nerves. It was truly a beautiful place and, although some of his colleagues couldn’t understand why he was going out to the wilds straight after 9/11, it somehow seemed fitting.

-Dom

By: Robert Fulton

Robert Fulton — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 04:50:10 +0000

I write today in total humility and honor for a man who was truly a man in many senses of the word.

Goodbye Dr. Chamblin, you were too young for this world.

I apologize readily for those of you who were recent friends of Andrew Chamblin and may my remarks be not taken as flippant, but rather in the spirit that I knew him. I also realize that I am but a shade in his life and have not participated in recent events, but I will be honest, I cannot say that someone has been more in my mind than Andy Chamblin has in the back of my mind. He was a model beyond comprehension and the second such death that I have encountered this week. I believe that the world IQ has been lowered by a significant measure these past few weeks.

Andrew (Andy as he was known then, and even playfully Howard) went to the same High School as me, as Jennifer Walsh has said, it was Amarillo High. This school is a name that I only associate with regret, except for Andy Chamblin. I was the unfortunate Valedectorian for his graduating class and one of the finer moments of my life was to communicate to Andy while I was at the Univesita di Bologna that I have never been comfortable with that title knowing that he was in my class. I felt it absurd that I should be honored with such a specious title when a trure genius was in my class. I let him know this and I hope that this menial honor was conveyed to him as the true deserver. There were numerous other things I wanted to convey to this great soul, but alas, will not have the chance.

Also, in our belated conversation, Dr. Chamblin sent me a copy of his script, “Cadillac Run” which I read and admired. My life has been languages and literature with physics as my side passion, and Andrew had physics as his life and literature and languages as his passion outside of work. We were hopefully to meet again in Itlay, but that did not happen. My father was also faculty at the U of L and died last year and I never had the chance to visit them both. That is now the one of the saddest missed opportunity that I have had in my life.

Andy and I were in Calculus together in high school. Every day I went to class with the enhthusiasm that he exuded, and as you know, he did. Mr. Martin would tolerate our banter each day as I always had a new language pun for Andy and he always had a stumper for us in math. I remember when he came up with a solution for trisecting an angle without a protractor and the air was charged. It was amazing to be in the presence of a true and spirited genius. As I said, I was embarassed to be honored at graduation knowing that Andy was part of my class. I remember him building his own harpsicord and cheating in golf. The irony of his spectrum.

Two things stick out. We used to have a running joke (he more with two other friends, Rob Jones and Dan Thompson) about the Spanish Inquisition from the Monty Python skit. When I wanted to contact Andrew again after 17 years or so, I used “What, were you expecting the Spanish Inqusition?” or so. He responded within 10 minutes as if he had never been out of conact. I was impressed and honored. However, it may have been his nature of not being exclusive and for that I honor him dearly.

I have lost two mentors in the past month. One, Mark Southern, a willing paticipant on my PhD commitee who was conversant in over twenty languages and a true teacher at every level and then Dr. Chamblin, about whom, and ask my wife, I have never not thought of when I pursue an option in my life. I once taught a course called, “The Curse of Socrates,” as the Athenian specter permeates our thinking process regardless of our wishes, so did Dr. Chamblin with mine. I always kept him in mind, knowing that such a superior mind and good-hearted soul was out there.

In short, I grieve that I did not know this man later in life, and I truly grieve for his family and friends who did. Andrew Chamblin was a great soul. We should all be happy that we met such a man. I know that I shall not soon forget.

Sincerely,

Robert Fulton

By: Sav Sethi

Sav Sethi — Sat, 11 Mar 2006 01:24:58 +0000

I am still in shock from hearing this news. I fondly recall hanging out with Andrew in Aspen. We biked up to Maroon Lake and Ashcroft many times. Andrew was an enormous amount of fun to be around.

My heart goes out to his family. He will be greatly missed.

By: Robert Mann

Robert Mann — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 20:43:19 +0000

What a shock to hear this news. I first met
Andrew when I was on sabbatical in Cambridge.
He immediately came across as a very personable and incredibly sharp guy. I had a number of very interesting discussions with him during my year there, and learned a lot from him. In the years following I met him again several times at conferences, and always found my meetings with him to be profitable.

This is a great loss for physics — how sad to lose such a talented mind. My thoughts and prayers for his family.

By: Delane

Delane — Sat, 04 Mar 2006 13:53:25 +0000

I knew him first as Andy and later as Andrew. I miss him, for he was a great friend and a wonderful person. I will always remember Blue Velvet in his room at Rice and screwdrivers when we should have been in Latin.

Goodbye.

By: Clifford

Clifford — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 02:02:28 +0000

Dear All,

There has been a date change: The Memorial service in Cambridge will be at 2.30 pm on Saturday 10th June in Pembroke College Chapel.

Jo Ashbourn asks that you email her at the following email address:

hacmemorial (at) yahoo.co.uk

if you have any questions about it or to let her know that you’re coming. This will be very useful to her in making arrangements.

-cvj

By: Clifford

Clifford — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 03:26:17 +0000

Caroline & Ed,

Thanks so much for commenting. It is a real honour to read the comment and to learn that you read the tributes from several of Andrew’s friends here on this blog. I wish you all the comfort that you need as you go through this period of sadness. I’d also like to thank you so much for being so welcoming to me when I visited in Amarillo all those years ago, when Andrew took me to see Cadillac Ranch and out for authentic Barbecue. I hope to see you not too long from now.

Best Wishes,

Clifford.

By: caroline & ed chamblin

caroline & ed chamblin — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 02:05:29 +0000

We have been so pleased and honored to read all of the dear remembrances of Andrew. Of course we thought he was a beautiful, unique person and we are so glad to hear from those of you who also loved him. We miss him terribly. We can only hope that his spirit soared into the galaxy when we released his ashes at the top of the mesa of his beloved Palo Duro Canyon. We appreciated those of you who came for his memorial service here. We hope some of the others of you will be at the memorial in Cambridge which I understand will be on Saturday, June 3. And we would always love to have any of you come and visit us when you are in the American Southwest. We feel you are each a special attachment to Andrew–one that we value greatly. He loved his friends and he would love for them to see the things he talked about–Cadillac Ranch, Palo Duro Canyon, and maybe even Happy, TX. We have friends there and we can vouch for the sadness that is in Happy tonight. Again, thank you and please stay in touch. Caroline and Ed Chamblin

By: Neil L

Neil L — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 11:23:17 +0000

I am deeply sadned by Andrew’s death. As a scientist Andrew was very sharp indeed. But I think perhaps his most important role was played because he thought so differently to anyone else. This lead to interesting questions followed by interesting answers.

As a friend he was unique. I have a million good memories of him. Like everyone else, many involve the hotpants and daisy-duke shorts or getting slaughtered in Doom. I also remember climbing up Aspen mountain with Andrew running up and down backwards as I struggled just to get up at all. Of course I also recall that he promised me that there would be water on the way, which there wasn’t. And when I finally reached the top he pointed to hut in the distance, far from where we’d come from, and assured me that there was water over there. However most of my memories are of all the in-jokes that we used to share. Quite frankly the world will forever be a much less interesting place without Andrew.

I’ve just come back from Texas and his funeral. So I have finally gotten to see Cadilac Ranch, Palo Duro Canyon and met some of the people he spoke about. I also know that the other comments on this website were of great comfort for his family and they would like to thank everyone for them. There will be a memorial service in Liouville on March 22nd to which people are invited to attend.

By: sophie

sophie — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 19:00:54 +0000

I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to hear about Andrew from his friends and colleagues. And I know that we will all miss him very much. Thanks to Clifford for this post.

By: simeon

simeon — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 17:19:36 +0000

I was shocked when I heard that Andrew passed away. I connected with Andrew on a human level in a way I haven’t often connected with other scientists, or other people altogether. A truly genuine and warm person, he generated many happy memories. During my first lonely months of adjusting to life as a new postdoc, Andrew really offered me the hand of friendship and it made a big difference to me. I will never forget his sincere kindness and I wish I could somehow repay it.

Andrew: Goodbye. I am so sorry to lose a great friend like you. Thank you for letting me stay with you at your place in Los Alamos. Thank you for showing me around the mountains, for explaining to me what pinors were, for your long and fascinating stories about Texas and your family and friends and colleagues. Thank you for showing me that old radioactive museum in Los Alamos. Thank you for taking me to that gay bar in Santa Fe. Thank you for always making me feel at ease and never judging me. Thank you for reminding me how to enjoy life again at a time when I sort of forgot. I will really miss you Andrew.