Paul Erdős was a searcher, a searcher for mathematical truth. Paul’s place in the mathematical pantheon will be a matter of strong debate, for in that rarefied atmosphere he had a unique style. The late Ernst Straus said it best in a commemoration of Erdős’s seventieth birthday. In our century, in which mathematics is so strongly dominated by “theory constructors” he has remained the prince of ...

On October 18, 1996, hundreds of people, including many mathematicians, gathered at Kerepesi Cemetery in Budapest to pay their last respects to Paul Erdős. If there was one theme suggested by the farewell orations, it was that the world of mathematics had lost a legend, one of its great representatives. On October 21, 1996, in accordance with his last wishes, Paul Erdős’ ashes were buried in hi...