A Celebration of Larry Stein (1931-2019) by Thomas A. Ban

David W. Self’s comment

        As his former student, I will never forget Larry because he taught me the most important skill a graduate student can learn:  how to take complex ideas and express them as simple thoughts.  He would often say “always write in a straight line” and "never make the reader work.”  He was very patient with me and we often spent many hours in his office re-writing what we wrote together the previous day (which frustrated me greatly at the time).  But it was in invaluable gift.  I try to teach my students and postdocs the same wisdom.  He also pushed me to question my hypotheses and be first to identify new and creative interpretations of the data.  I owe every professional success to these skills and his mentoring.  I will always remember Larry as a great man and an enthusiastic thinker in pursuit of big ideas.  The excitement and enthusiasm for novel discovery he possessed lives on in his proteges.    

June 11, 2020