The Life and Numbers of Richard Guy (1916 – 2020)

Over fifty years ago Richard Kenneth Guy joined the then Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science at the nascent University of Calgary. Although he retired from the University in 1982, he continued, even in his last year, to come in to the University every day and work on the mathematics that he loved. In this talk I will provide a glimpse into the life and research of this most remarkable man. In doing this, I will recount several of the important events of Richard’s life and briefly discuss some of his mathematical contributions.

About Dr. Williams

: Dr. Hugh Williams is internationally recognized as an expert in computational number theory and its applications to cryptography. Shortly after obtaining his Ph.D. in 1969 from the Department of Applied Analysis and Computer Science at the University of Waterloo, he joined the newly established Department of Computer Science at the University of Manitoba, where he was promoted to the rank of Full Professor in 1979. He also served there as Associate Dean of Science for Research Development for seven years (1994-2001). He moved to the University of Calgary in 2001 to take up the iCORE Chair for Algorithmic Number Theory and Cryptography (2001-2013) and retired as Emeritus Professor of Mathematics and Statistics in 2016. Dr. Williams has authored over 150 refereed journal papers, 30 refereed conference papers and 20 books or book chapters, and from 1983-85 held a national Killam Research Fellowship. In February 2009, Dr, Williams was selected for a six year term as the inaugural Director of the Tutte Institute for Mathematics and Computing (TIMC), a highly classified research facility established by the federal government. In 2016, he was appointed Professor Emeritus in Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Calgary.