Fred Richman ’59

Fred died from vascular dementia Feb. 16, 2024, at his retirement community in Boca Raton, Fla.

He was born in Philadelphia and attended West Philadelphia High School. At Princeton, he majored in mathematics and was a member of Wilson Lodge. Though matriculating with the Class of ’59, Fred finished his AB in three years and enrolled at the University of Chicago for graduate studies in math. There he met fellow UC student Sue Critten at a bridge game, and they were married in 1960.

While finishing a Ph.D. in 1963, Fred was recruited to New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, N.M., where he was a major contributor to a flourishing research program in the math department and was recognized with the university’s most prestigious faculty award in 1980. In 1990, he joined the math department at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton and remained there until his retirement in 2015.

Fred was a caring husband and father, a talented pianist, and an avid competitive bridge player. He was thoughtful about most everything in the world.

Fred is survived by and missed by his wife Sue; sons Ben and Sam ’90; and four granddaughters.