I'm very sorry to hear this. David was a long-time contributor to math-fun, with hundreds of postings, and the most recent posting I have from him was Feb. 8, 2008. He will be sorely missed. At 02:37 PM 3/17/2008, Sandra M. Gilbert wrote:

Dear friends,

I'm sorry to have to tell you that on Friday, March 7, my beloved partner, David Gale, suffered a heart attack & cardiac arrest. He was maintained in Critical Care at Alta Bates Hospital for a few days, where the doctors undertook a 24-hour hypothermia treatment (now evidently the standard of care) to try to prevent neurological damage, but he never regained consciousness, and died today--Friday, March 7--exactly at noon. My children & I, together with David's three daughters & their partners were at the bedside so we had a chance to say goodbye. One of his grandsons & his wife was also able to join us.

As most of you know, David was 86 & in reasonably good health, but he did have cardiac problems. Nevertheless, he was active & vital until the very end: on Tuesday, just before he got sick, he had been updating his prize-winning mathematics website! I can't begin to imagine, at this point, how I'll live without him, & I know his daughters feel the same way, especially because their mother died three weeks ago. If you would like to write to them, I think the best & most appropriate thing to do would be to address mail to all three--Katharine Gale, Karen Gale, & Kirsten Cutler--at their family home: 791 Hilldale, Berkeley, CA, 94708. If you'd like me to send you any email addresses for them, I can do that too.

With my very best wishes & much gratitude for your friendship & support,

Sandra

Sandra M. Gilbert Distinguished Professor of English Emerita University of California, Davis phone: (510) 527-1260 fax: (510) 527-7130

www.SandraMGilbert.com