In Memoriam: Olga Taussky-Todd

838 NOTICES OF THE AMS VOLUME 43, NUMBER 8 O lga Taussky-Todd passed away in her sleep on Saturday, October 7, 1995, at the age of 89, at her home in Pasadena, California, where she was Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at the California Institute of Technology. She is survived by her husband of 57 years, the mathematician John (Jack) Todd, also Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Caltech. He reported that her death, a consequence of a broken hip from which she had not fully recovered, was swift and peaceful. It is a profound loss for Jack, for Caltech, and for the worldwide mathematics community. Olga Taussky-Todd was a distinguished and prolific mathematician who wrote about 300 papers. Throughout her life she received many honors and distinctions, most notably the Cross of Honor, the highest recognition of contributions given by her native Austria. Olga’s bestknown and most influential work was in the field of matrix theory, though she also made important contributions to number theory. Perhaps Olga herself can best describe her mathematical tastes and motivations, as she did in a 1985 memoir: