Prof. Henry Wolkowicz

SOME of the history highlights:

• Born Lodz Poland Feb. 25, 1948. (Yes '48, 'baby' of the class?) Both parents lost their previous spouse/kids; father lost entire family. Escaped pogrom in Lodz in '48 to Czech. and got caught and ended up in a DP camp in East Germany. Then managed (bribery help from an uncle) to get to Paris and then by boat to Canada, Dec/49. ( family webpage with interviews and publications.)
• Attended JPS, Jewish People's School, and then Strathcona grade 8, and OHS 9-11. I considered myself very lucky in having some excellent teachers at both Strathcona and OHS. I am particularly grateful to MacFarlane. What a great year grade 9 was.
• After graduation I worked up north (missed the graduation party) and then hitched penniless to Ontario and worked on a tobacco farm - toughest job I ever had. (but from .38/hour factory to $120/week with room-board)
• After damaging a knee badly in football, I took up boxing and was in the golden gloves '65-66 and after winning three bouts in a row by KOs got written up in the Gazette as "Wolkowicz - smart boxer" 😜
• volunteer for Israel 6 day war .. June-Sept '67
• Went to the Atlantic City Festival and then made it to Woodstock; interview of me about Woodstock '69: Woodstock, p2, "cooler than you knew";
• Then after floating around the 'scene' for a few years I went back to Univ., took a math course where the instructor asked me to stick around for a masters degree. It is amazing how one's life can totally change on such an event. I continued to a PhD and Prof. and moved to Waterloo in '86, Professor in Mathematics, working in Dept. of Combinatorics and Optimization (two words, the meaning of which most people in the world do NOT know) where I still am. I love my research work, travelling/sabbaticals to work with colleagues around the world, working with grad students, and am a total workaholic. ( SIAM Fellow 2015)
• Married Sept. 1970 to (Krieger prize winner) Gail, who changed profession and became a mathematician after our marriage; now at McMaster Univ. (now over 50 years married; and our son Daniel was born ON OUR 20TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY DAY, quite the day). (For those 'girls' in the mixed class, my wife's history is very interesting, as she was a top student and athlete! But was told Eng. is NOT for girls when at McGill.)
• interview about some of my history and my math. research: ILAS: History, and research communities".