Department of Mathematics

Dr. David Rush

Shared Memories of David Rush

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• "Dave did an outstanding job mentoring graduate students, VAPs and other mathematicians. I would say that Dave would modestly say it was just something he did." - Al Stralka

• "We learned that Professor Emeritus Dave Rush passed away on February 13, 2023. He joined UCR in 1971 and retired in 2018 after almost 50 years. Dave Rush was a dedicated teacher and researcher. He organized the long-running Friday Algebra Seminar at UCR (from 1983 to 2018!). He authored 83 papers, many with his students and the VAPs who came to work with him. His work spans a wide variety of topics in Commutative Algebra, from flat modules to problems on bounding number of generators of ideals, from Bezout domains to study of associated primes of ideals, from lattice modules to Rees algebras. At least a third of his work was with Professor Emeritus Jack Ratliff. Together they made many advances in ideal theory for commutative rings. In fact, a closure operation on ideals was named in their honor, and nowadays the Ratliff-Rush closure of an ideal is an object of interest to many who work in commutative algebra. Prof. Rush supervised 13 Ph.D. students and worked with many visiting assistant professors at UCR, who benefited immensely from his kind nature, his mathematical wisdom, and his support. " - C. Ciuperca, B. Engheta, I. Henriques, Y. Kim, K. Lin, P. Mantero, J. McCullough, K. Shah, J. Hong, J. Vassilev, and all Dr. Rush's VAPs

• "The Friday afternoon Algebra Seminar started soon after I arrived at SB. Jack Ohm had told me to contact Dave and I did in the Fall of 1982. I showed up at his office in Sproul Hall and we had a nice walk around the UCR campus. At that visit we discussed starting an algebra seminar which we did in early 1983. I don't know the current format, but initially it was any topic in algebra, but by the 90's had evolved into mainly commutative algebra." - J. Paul Vicknair

• "I first met Dr. Rush during the late 90’s as an undergraduate in his Number Theory class. Later, I enrolled in a directed studies course with him in which he introduced me to Commutative Algebra, and that led to him becoming my thesis advisor when I was a graduate student. He was a great teacher and brilliant mathematician, but ultimately, I will remember him as a kind, humble, and generous man. He made himself available whenever I had questions, and he met those questions with unfailing patience and encouragement. I will always appreciate the guidance he provided during my time at UCR." - Dustin Culhan

• "Dave Rush was a graduate student of Jack Ohm at LSU when I returned to LSU in the fall of 1969 after having been on leave for a year. I taught my first graduate course in the fall of 1969. It was a wonderful experience for me to have Dave as a student in the class. We often had lunch together and shared mathematical thoughts with each other. The commutative algebra seminar mentioned by Paul Vicknair and the welcoming environment provided by Dave and Margaret and Jack and Georgia Ratliff attracted me to visit a number of times beginning in 1993 and continuing through 2007." - Bill Heinzer

• A special brother-in-law. So happy he and Margaret, my sister, are soul mates. Brilliant man and so kind and the best smile ever! He will be missed! Thank you all for the wonderful words about him He so enjoyed his profession. - Sincerely, Mary Jones