29/04/2019

Barry Rees James, a former professor at IMPA, dies in USA

A former professor of Probability at IMPA, Barry Rees James passed away at 76, on March 31, in Duluth, Minnesota. The mathematician taught at the Brazil’s Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics until 1987, along with his wife, Kang Ling James.

Barry was born on April 28, 1942 in York, PA. He graduated from Wayzata High School in Wayzata, MN in 1960. He studied mathematics at Williams College, graduating summa cum laude in 1964, and earned a Ph.D. in statistics from the University of California, Berkeley in 1971.

At Berkeley, he met the love of his life, Kang Ling, and they were married in 1972. They both taught at the Brazil’s Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics until 1987, at which time they both joined the faculty of the Department of Mathematics at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Barry held various positions there, including department head and Director of Graduate Studies, until retired from the department in 2016.

He is survived by his wife, Kang Ling James, sister, Sally Hassemer and brother, Daniel James. The couple did not have children.