In Memoriam: Elias Stein, Herman Ermolaev, Theodore Rabb *61

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Courtesy Karen Stein

Professor emeritus of mathematics ELIAS STEIN died Dec. 23. He was 87. Stein joined the mathematics department in 1963, served twice as department chair, and retired in 2012. He was a pioneer in the field of harmonic analysis, an area of mathematics with applications throughout the sciences. In the 1970s, Stein helped create a series of advanced undergraduate math courses and co-wrote a four-volume textbook to accompany the courses.

He received the 2002 National Medal of Science; the Wolf Prize, one of the highest honors in mathematics; and a lifetime achievement award from the American Mathematical Society.

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John Jameson ’04/Office of Communications

HERMAN ERMOLAEV, professor emeritus of Slavic languages and literatures, died Jan. 6 in Plainsboro, N.J. He was 94. Ermolaev joined the faculty in 1959 and spent his entire career at the University, retiring in 2007. An expert on Soviet literature and the author Mikhail Sholokhov, Ermolaev was widely published in the United States and Russia. He was fond of teaching and brought his courses alive through personal reminiscence, history, and literature. His course on Soviet literature enrolled as many as 350 students, and he also taught a popular course on Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.

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Denise Applewhite/Office of Communications

History professor emeritus THEODORE RABB *61 died Jan. 7. He was 81.

Rabb came to Princeton in 1958 as a graduate student, joined the faculty in 1967, and became emeritus in 2006. A specialist in early modern European history, Rabb taught in the history department and in humanistic studies. He helped create the four-course humanities sequence at Princeton, which he directed and taught in for many years.

Rabb published and edited numerous books and co-founded The Journal of Interdisciplinary History. He was historical adviser for the Emmy-nominated television series Renaissance and directed a program for the professional development of community-college professors.