Mathematician Norman Herzberg dies at 82

Norman Herzberg’s friends and colleagues were saddened by his sudden death after a short illness. He died March 29 at home in Princeton with his wife of 52 years at his side.   

A mathematician, Norman published a number of papers in his specialty, number theory, as well as writing numerous classified papers while he worked at The Institute for Defense Analyses in Princeton.   

Born in 1937 deep in the heart of Brooklyn to parents Hans and Herta, he leaves a brother Edward, and sister Susan, as well as cousins, nieces, and nephews.

After graduating early from James Madison High School, Norman attended Columbia University and graduated magna cum laude in 1958. He then headed to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned his doctorate in mathematics in 1965. He joined The Institute for Defense Analyses in Princeton in 1968 and worked there until his retirement in 2000. 

Norman was a devoted husband to Barbara, whom he married in the MIT Chapel in 1967 when she was in the first company of the Loeb Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They traveled all over the world together, often to Greece and the nearby islands, but also to Malta, Morocco, Madeira, Mexico, China, Egypt, India, England, Ireland, Scotland, France, and Italy, or as his wife used to say…” anywhere stuff was older than she.” Norman was an avid and skilled photographer and documented their travels extensively.   

Despite his hearing loss from an illness in 1966, he was a vigorous participant in technical discussions at IDA and was able to contribute many applications that depended on his deep understanding of computer science. Norman’s fellowship and humor will be missed by all who knew him.