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Dick Feynman—The Guy in the Office Down the Hall

FEB 01, 1989
A brilliant, vital and amusing neighbor, Feynman was a stimulating (if sometimes exasperating) partner in discussions of profound issues. His sum‐over‐paths method may turn out to be not just useful, but fundamental.
Murray Gell‐Mann

When I think of Richard, I often recall a chilly afternoon in Altadena shortly after his marriage to the charming Gweneth. My late wife, Margaret, and I had returned in September 1960 from a year in Paris, London and East Africa; Richard had greeted me with the news that he was “catching up with me”—he too was to have an English wife and a small brown dog. The wedding soon took place, and it was a delightful occasion. We also met the dog (called Venus, I believe) and found that Richard was going overboard teaching her tricks (leading his mother, Lucille, with her dry wit, to wonder aloud what would become of a child if one came along). The Feynmans and we both bought houses in Altadena, and on the afternoon in question Margaret and I were visiting their place.

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References

  1. 1. R. P. Feynman, Phys. Rev. 76, 749, 769 (1949).https://doi.org/PHRVAO

  2. 2. R. P. Feynman, “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!” Adventures of a Curious Character, Bantam, New York (1986), p. 229.
    See also M. Gell‐Mann, in Proc. Int. Mtg. on the History of Scientific Ideas, M. G. Doncel et al., eds., Bellaterra, Barcelona (1987), p. 474.

More about the authors

Murray Gell‐Mann, California Institute of Technology.

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This Content Appeared In
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Volume 42, Number 2

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