In Memoriam Frederick J. Almgren Jr., 1933-1997

Fred Almgren was one of the founding editors of Experimental Mathematics. He remained an active editor until mid-1996, when he was found to have myelodysplasia, a form of bone marrow cancer. Subsequently, Fred underwent a risky but potentially eeective treatment at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston: his old marrow cells were destroyed , and he received a marrow cell transplant. He was released after about a month and returned home to Princeton, and for several more weeks gained health and strength rapidly. He appeared to be on the road to a remarkable recovery, gradually resuming many of his normal activities, such as taking long walks with his wife Jean. In January, however, he developed pneumonia, and was hospitalized again. Complications ensued, and he died on February 5, 1997. I rst met Fred in 1966, at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Moscow. I gave a splinter talk in which the result happened to be something that Leslie Federer had already proved, but I didn't know this. Fred sat silently through the talk, only revealing the bad news to me when we were alone. Fred was a great believer in the value of using computers to support progress in pure math. He and I worked together with Al Marden as part of the Geometry Supercomputer Project in Min-neapolis, which later developed into the Geometry Center (see page 11). He was a strong contributor to the considerable successes of the Center. For example , it was his support that led to Ken Brakke's important Evolver software. Experimental Mathematics, the journal, has lost an important editor; experimental mathematics, the subject, has lost an important practitioner. We will miss him for his enthusiasm and for his dedication , and as a tribute to him we have included in this issue reminiscences and memorial statements that we believe will be of interest to our readers.