Remembrances or condolences for Dr Wenbo V. Li

Sourav Chatterjee

My sincere condolences to Wenbo's family. Wenbo was a terrific host when my wife and I were visiting Beijing in 2011. I will remember him for his vivacious personality and enthusiasm for mathematics.

Zhen-Qing Chen

I first met Wenbo in the summer of 1992 when both us attended the first Probability Intern Program at the Center for the Mathematical Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Since then, we have met from time to time at various occasions including conferences. Wenbo visited Seattle several times and I visit him at Delaware in 2010. The last time we met was at a conference at Wuyi Mountain in south China last July. Wenbo was very social, energetic, and was a gracious host. He loved doing mathematics. He was passionate about every problem that has a connection with small ball probabilities. I always enjoyed meeting and chatting with him. Wenbo liked hiking, playing soccer and other sports activities. When I visited him at Delaware in the autumn of 2010, he just fell in love with mountain biking.

It was really a shock when I first learned the unexpected passing of Wenbo from Jim Dai yesterday. My deepest condolences to Wenbo's wife and son.

Dmitry Zaporozhets

It is so sad for me to hear this terrible news. Once I visited Wenbo in Delaware and we had a very interesting discussion. My deepest condolences go to his family.

Milan Lukic

I am shocked with this terrible news. In a few years, it will be 20 years since I met Wenbo ... remembering now many great conversations about mathematics and otherwise. You are missed very much my dear friend. My deepest condolences to Wenbo's family.

Mingyu Xu and Yi-Jun Yao

We are shocked by the sad news. Wenbo was such a great guy with an overwhelming passion for life and mathematics. We are lucky to have had the opportunity to know him personally and worked together on some project. We will miss the fruitful conversations with him about math and life, especially those during the parties and trips where he was the natural center of conversations.
Our deepest condolences to Prof. Li's family.

Yue Zeng

I am still sad and shocked about this bad news! I took Prof Li' course in 2009. He was smart and inspiring. Besides, he once gave me some advice before I applied Ph.D program, such a nice guy! Rest in peace, Prof. Li!
My deepest condolences to Prof. Li's family.

Jian Song

I first met Prof. Li at Rutgers in December 2011, when I invited him to give a talk, and I visited him just two months ago at Delaware. He was so kind and friendly like an old friend, and it was great fun to meet him. He was a so inspiring and enthusiastic mathematician, and I benefited a lot from the discussion with him during my visit. Even now I still can not believe this sad news. Rest in peace, Prof Li!

My deepest condolences go to his family.

With great sadness,
Jian Song

Chao Zhu

So sad and shocked to hear this news! I took Prof. Li's course back in 2002. His lectures were well-organized and inspirational. I still have his lecture notes! Later I met him several times in conferences. He generously offered me many advice on carear developments. He was such a nice guy!

My deepest condolence to his families!

jonathan mattingly

Wenbo was always so enthusiastic and kind. He always had an encouraging word. I shared a beer with him just weeks ago at the IMA while he shared with me his favorite undergrad probability problems (the class I am teaching this term). Such very sad news.

Jim Dai

I learnt the shocking news from Christian Houdre yesterday (Sunday). I first met Wenbo at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in the fall of 1991 when I was a visiting assistant professor there. My first substantial interaction with Wenbo was during The 26th Conference on Stochastic Processes and their Applications in Beijing in June 1999. During that conference, he organized a hiking to Si-Ma-Tai section of the Great Wall. (I did not join.) Wenbo was always energetic and upbeat. I enjoyed being around him. My latest exchange with him was on Dec 5, 2012. He invited me to visit Delaware this spring semester and to join a IMS-China conference in July 2013. Wenbo's death is a big loss to the probability community. My deepest condolence to Wenbo's wife and son.

Dragan Radulovic

It was a late October at crack of dawn and Wenbo and DeVroey and Lugosi and Mike Steel and few others were laughing, discussing, drinking bear. We stayed till four in the morning and we talked math and we teased each other. I will never forget how sincerely Wenbo laughed when we joked about his ill-named probability on small balls. I talked about that night to many of my friends, colleagues, students and kids.
Many images come to my mind when I remember Wenbo; the hike at Banff, the cafeteria and Santa Fe, the waiting room at airport and Salt Lake city, the car trip in Marseille,…but that night will stay with me forever. I can still picture his round face and his contagious laugh.
He was the leader of the second generation high-dimensional probabilitsts; and as one who belongs to that generation I can testify that he was truly passing the torch. He was a great organizer and he was just a fun person to be with. The laws of probabilities were against Wenbo and we lost a fellow probabilist too soon.
Farewell my friend and let the high dimensions be with you….and say hi to Banach.

Dragan Radulovic

Alfa Heryudono

I am still shocked to hear this sad news. My deepest condolences to his family. He is a nice and friendly person.

Lingyun Li

I met him in the 11th probability seminar last November. I liked him a lot because he was such a nice person. I thought I could talk to him on probability some time in the future. He is still young. I can not believe it at all. Rest in peace!

Zhuang Hou

I am so sorry to hear about this. I was totally shocked. I met Prof Li in several conferences. He is a very kind professor. My deepest condolences to his family.

Mark Martell

Jimmy,

I'm so so so sorry to hear about this. Your father was one of my favorite coaches in our Snipers Hockey program. He really loved watching you play from the bench and I loved having him on there with me when I 'coached'. This is just terrible. What a gentleman. Mark

Haifeng Zeng

I took Prof. Li's Math630 in 2007,and I liked Prof. Li's teaching style so much. I was totally shocked to hear this sad news. My deepest condolence to his family.

Nilima Nigam

My sincerest condolences to Prof. Li's family. The news of his passing is both sudden and shocking. I will always remember him as a vital, enthusiastic and friendly mathematician! This is a big loss.

Peng Wu

Professor Li is among the best professors I have met in my life. He always teaches about the reason behind a theory and inspired me deeper. Even after two years I'm still frequently thinking of what he taught me. Rest in peace professor Li!

Xiaoming Huo

In December 2011, five of us (including Wenbo) hiked to the top of a snowy mountain at Banff, Canada. Wenbo served as the guide, and was definitely the most athletic and healthy among us. He took care of one of us, who probably would not make to the top without Wenbo’s help. It’s very shocking to receive this sad news, just a little bit more than a year later. My deepest condolence to his family.

Claudio Torres

My deepest condolences to Professor Li's wife, son and parents.

Sincerely,

Claudio Torres

Qunhui Han

My deepest condolences to Prof. Li's family. Prof. Li's classes were so great.

Marina Capursi

I am really saddened. Dr Li was a very inspired teacher. I loved the graduate Probability course I took with him. My condolences to his family.

Dmitry Panchenko

Wenbo was just so easy to like, and his enthusiasm for life and mathematics was contagious.

Fred Torcaso

Wenbo was a huge inspiration to me.

We will miss you greatly Wenbo. My condolences to your family, friends, and all the lives you have touched.

Ryan Martin

Prof. Li co-supervised my undergraduate thesis and I am deeply grateful for his help and friendship. I was looking forward to seeing him in a few weeks, in fact.

My deepest condolences to Wenbo's friends, family and colleagues.