REVUE D'ANALYSE NUMÉRIQUE ET DE THÉORIE DE L'APPROXIMATION

Rev. Anal. Numér. Théor. Approx., vol. 31 (2002) no. 1, pp. 5-7

On the occasion of the 75th birthday anniversary of Academician Professor Dimitrie D. Stancu, his colleagues, students and friends from Romania and other countries around the world congratulate him enthusiastically with esteem for his nobility as a Master, for the dignity he has shown in serving the Mathematical Sciences, for his generosity, honesty and abnegation in training several generations of young mathematicians.

The distinguished mathematician D. D. Stancu was born on February 11, 1927 in the township Cǎlacea, Timiş District, in a farmer's family. His life was very difficult during the first years, and for a while he found shelter in the orphanage "Regina Maria" in the city of Arad. With the help from his Mathematics teachers: Hortensia Roseau and Ascaniu Crişan he succeeded to attend High School in Arad, at the prestigious Lyceum "Moise Nicoară". He studied at the University of Cluj, from which he graduated in 1951. During his studies he was mostly under the influence of Academician Professor Tiberiu Popoviciu, a great master of Numerical Analysis and Approximation Theory. He has obtained his Ph. D. in Mathematics from the University of Cluj. His advisor for the doctoral dissertation was the famous mathematician Tiberiu Popoviciu (1906-1975). He has strongly influenced and stimulated his research work.

After his graduation, he was named assistant at the Department of Mathematics, University of Cluj. In a normal succession he advanced up to the rank of full professor in 1969. He holds a continuous career at this University. He benefited from a fellowship at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Numerical Analysis Department, where he spent the academic year 1961-1962. Professor Stancu has participated in different events in the USA, among them we mention that he presented contributed papers at several meetings of American Mathematical Society held in New York, Chicago and Milwaukee.

Professor Stancu has a wonderful family. His wife, dr. Felicia Stancu was a lecturer of mathematics at the same University. They have two daughters: Angela (1957) and Mirela (1958), both teaching mathematics in secondary schools. They have three grandchildren: Alexandru (1983) and George (1992) (the sons of Mirela) and Stefana (1991) (the daughter of Angela). Didi, as he is known to those close to him, takes an active part in the education of their grandchildren.

Professor Stancu has taught many courses at the University of Cluj, his fields of expertise covering such areas as Mathematical Analysis, Numerical Analysis, Approximation Theory, Probability Theory and Constructive Theory of Functions. In particular he has been concerned with the use of probabilistic methods in the Approximation Theory of Functions.

He had a large number of doctoral students, about 40, from Romania, Germany, Vietnam.

Besides the United States, where Dr. Stancu came at an early stage of his career and scientific formation, he has participated in many scientific events in Germany (Stuttgart, Hannover, Hamburg, Goettingen, Dortmund, Münster, Siegen, Würzburg, Berlin, Oberwolfach), Italy (Roma, Napoli, Potenza, L'Aquila), England (Lancaster, Durham), Hungary (Budapest), Bulgaria (Sofia, Varna), Czech Republic (Brno), France (Paris).

His publication lists more than 120 items and many distinguished mathematicians hance quoted work: USA (W. Gautschi, G. Birkhoff, A. H. Stroud, L. Schumaker, G. G. Lorentz); Germany (H. H. Gonska, G. Mühlbach, G. Felbecker, W. Haussmann, F. J. Delvos); Italy (G. Mastroianni, M. R. Occorsio, L. Gori, E. Santi, B. Della Vecchia, A. D. Lorenzo); Czech Republic (Horova, M. Budikova); China (Chen Wang Zhong, Tian Ji Shan, Ren Hong Wang).

There are about 50 papers where his name is included in their titles.
For several years (1962-1968) he served as Assoc. Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and held the position of the chairman of the Chair of Numerical Analysis and Statistical Computing (1963-1995). He has directed continuously the research activity of a group of mathematicians from his chair, working in approximation theory and numerical analysis.

Since 1961 he is a member of American Mathematical Society. He is also a member of Gesellschaft für Angewandte Mathematik und Mechanik (Germany).

He is for many years a reviewer of the journals Mathematical Reviews and of Zentralblatt für Mathematik.

He is also member of several editorial boards of mathematical journals. We mention that he is Editor in chief of the journal Revue d'Analyse Numérique et de Théorie de l'Approximation, published by the Romanian Academy Publishing House and a member of the editorial board of the Italian journal Calcolo, published by Springer Verlag.

Professor D. D. Stancu has participated, presenting invited papers, at several international symposiums on Approximation Theory (Gatlinburg, Tennessee, USA, 1963; Lancaster, England, 1969; Durham, England, 1977), Nashville TN, USA, 2000. He has also participated at five International Conferences organized by the Mathematical International Research Institute in Oberwolfach, Germany (1971, 1973, 1976 and 1981).

In 1995 the University "Lucian Blaga" from Sibiu, Romania, has accorded to him the scientific title of Doctor Honoris Causa.

In 1999 Professor D. D. Stancu has been elected a Honorary Member of the Romanian Academy of Sciences.

In May, 2000 he has participated at the International Symposium on Trends in Approximation Theory, dedicated to the 60th birthday of professor Larry L. Schumaker. He has presented a contributed paper in collaboration with J. Wanzer Drane, from University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.

The main contributions in research work of D. D. Stancu are related to the following subjects: Approximation and Interpolation of Functions of One and Several Variables; Numerical Integration and Differentiation of Functions; Quadrature and Cubature Formulae of High Degree of Exactness; Probabilistic Methods for the Construction and Investigation of Linear Positive Operators of Approximation; Approximation Operators of Spline type; The Investigation of the Remainder in the Approximation Formulae of the Analysis; Applications of Numerical Methods.

In the year 1968, D. D. Stancu has obtained one of the Research Awards of the Department of Education in Bucharest, for his work in Numerical Analysis.

His important results in Numerical Analysis and Approximation Theory has brought him recognition in his country and abroad.

A quotation from the "Laudation" written by Professor Gh. Micula, from the same group of Numerical Analysis at the University of Cluj-Napoca: "All of us who know Academician Professor Dr. dr. h. c. D. D. Stancu keep him in high esteem, for his nobility as a Master, for the dignity he has shown in serving the Mathematical Sciences for his generosity and his toil in training several generations of young mathematicians, for his honesty and abnegation".

In 1996 Professor D. D. Stancu has a organized an International Conference on "Approximation and Optimization", in conjunction with the Second European Congress of Mathematics, held in Budapest, Hungary.

May Professor D. D. Stancu be granted with many years to come, with an active life, health and happiness, with new satisfactions in his scientific research work.

Professor dr. GH. COMAN
Faculty of Mathematics
and Informatics
"Babeş-Bolyai" University
Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Professor dr. I. PĂVĂLOIU
"T. Popoviciu" Institute
of Numerical Analysis
Romanian Academy
Cluj-Napoca, Romania

February 1, 2002