March 23, 1943 - December 28, 2011

From Dean Michael Mastanduno:

It is with sadness that I note the unexpected death of James E. Baumgartner, Professor of Mathematics Emeritus, on December 28. Jim worked at Dartmouth for 35 years, having arrived as a John Wesley Young instructor in 1969. He completed his dissertation for Berkeley the following year with a topic on proofs in combinatorial set theory. He then was asked to join the Dartmouth faculty, thus thwarting his plans to return to California. During his time here, Jim offered over 40 different courses in Math and Computer Science, many of which focused on his primary interests of set theory, mathematical logic and foundations, and typology. In 1983 he became the first person to hold the John G. Kemeny Parents' Professorship of Mathematics.

In his research, Jim contributed to the development of general techniques useful to other mathematicians, such as the Proper Forcing Axiom. He was uniquely able to combine the methods of the Berkeley and the Hungarian schools of set theory. Working with András Hajnal, he proved the Baumgartner-Hajnal theorem. His collaborations took him to Luminy, France, Oberwolfach, Germany, and Veszprém, Hungary. Jim also took the time to serve his discipline. He worked with the College Board to revise the Mathematics Achievement Test of the Admissions Testing Program, served on committees for the American Mathematical Society, the National Science Foundation, and the Ford Foundation.

In 1982 Jim was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a disease he fought with great courage and complete optimism, even after it necessitated the use of a wheelchair. His life was characterized by a delight in all types of knowledge.

A memorial service is planned, but the date has yet to be set.