Sad News: Harold Levine
April 6, 2023
Dear Colleagues,
I am sad to share that Dr. Harold I. Levine, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Brandeis University, passed away in Asheville, North Carolina, on March 11, 2023. He was 94 years old. Harold is survived by his stepdaughters Jill Preyer, Sally LaVenture and Liz Preyer and their families, as well as by his brother Sydney, his wife Dr. Judith Levine, five nephews and their families.
Born in Lynn, Massachusetts, Harold graduated from Lynn Classical High School and then went on to receive a B.S. in Mathematics and Physics from the University of New Mexico, an M.S. in Mathematics in 1952 from the University of Chicago, and a Ph.D. from the same institution in 1957. After serving as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Bonn, Germany, and as an instructor at Yale University, he came to Brandeis as an Assistant Professor in 1960 and was part of a talented group of mathematicians who, colleagues recall, “brought the Brandeis Mathematics Department to a remarkably high level in a short period of time.” He spent the rest of his career at Brandeis, becoming a full professor in 1968 and department chair in 1972. He retired from Brandeis in 1994. Harold was one of eight members of the department named to the inaugural group of Fellows of the American Mathematical Society (AMS) in 2012.
Harold's most celebrated work with his Brandeis colleague David Eisenbud computes the topological degree of a differentiable function in terms of algebraic geometry. His research was applied to general relativity in physics and to studies of gravitational lensing. A prodigious intellect, Harold went on to become a worldwide authority in singularity theory and co-authored the 1993 book (republished in 2001) Singularity Theory and Gravitational Lensing, which extended work pioneered by Albert Einstein.
In 2016, Harold and his wife Renee funded the Harold I. Levine Fellowship at Brandeis University, which gives financial support to graduate students pursuing a Ph.D. to conduct Mathematical research during summer months. Harold was also a skilled pianist and an artist. He was a humble, thoughtful, brilliant man, “who is remembered by everyone as a kind and generous presence at Brandeis, in a department he helped create,” (chair of the Brandeis Department of Mathematics, Olivier Bernardi).
For people wishing to honor Harold’s memory with a donation, his family suggests contributing to the Alzheimer’s Association.
I am grateful to Olivier Bernardi and Danny Ruberman from the Department of Mathematics for their contributions to this memoriam.
Sincerely,
Carol A. Fierke
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs