Loius Block Obituary I am sad to share that Professor Emeritus Lou Block passed away last night. Information about the service will be shared as soon as we have it. In the meantime, please keep his family in your thoughts.
Louis Block was born in New York City in 1947 and moved to Miami, Florida, as a boy. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida in 1968 and a Ph.D. in mathematics from Northwestern University in 1973. He then returned to the University of Florida, where he served as a Professor of Mathematics until his retirement in 2021.
Lou was an outstanding faculty member in all areas and was highly regarded by his students and colleagues. He published more than 50 research articles in his research area of dynamical systems and topology, many of them in top journals such as Transactions of the American Mathematical Society. Lou was highly sought after as a research collaborator. He was twice a Van Vleck Visiting Professor at Wesleyan University and a regular Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University. His research was supported by the National Science Foundation and by DARPA. Lou gave more than 80 invited lectures across the United States and several other countries, including Australia, China, and Germany.
During his 48 years at UF, Lou was known to be an excellent teacher. He was the instructor that students wanted in the classroom. This was recognized by a TIP Teaching Award in 1994. He taught graduate students as well as undergraduates, and directed four Ph.D. students. He was also active in service at the University. In particular, he was the Graduate Coordinator and Associate Chair of Graduate Studies for several years.
Lou loved Gator sports and regularly attended UF football games, as well as baseball and other Gator sports events. Lou wore the orange and blue with pride. He was an active member of the Gainesville 300 Club, where he played tennis and even organized tennis groups. He often played tennis at the Club with his grandchildren. Lou was also an excellent bridge player and was part of a regular bridge group including several other math faculty members.
Louis Block was truly a kind and gentle man. He was the one you wanted for your tennis or bridge partner. Lou was the one you called when you needed someone to go to the ball game with. He will be sorely missed.