Whoa! Just found out that Serge Lang passed away on September 12, this past Monday.

He is an algebraist, and technically a 先輩(senpai)/學長(xue zhang) of mine: Ph.D. Princeton University 1951 under Emil Artin. (hum, that does mean that he got his degree at the tender age of 24... scary).

As a mathematician, he definitely deserves respect, especially for his reputed willingness to interact with students (he has been a large part of MathCamp). As a writer, slightly less so. Most students of mathematics will immediately recognize his name because the numerous books he published with Springer-Verlag on virtually every subject of mathematics imaginable. Some might even say that "for every subject in mathematics, there is a second-rate textbook by Serge Lang", but I would disagree, seeing that my friend AU1 swears by Lang's Algebra, and given AU1's reputation, I will have to believe him on that.

But, while I withhold my judgment on Lang's ability as a writer of analysis textbooks, I still have great respect for his crusade against misuse of science or mathematics. He is frank and outspoken, and he lets his action be guided by reason and logic, rather than personal or political agenda. For that, Lang is a great man of science.