George Szekeres

George Szekeres (pronounced /ˈsɛkərɛʃ/; 29 May 1911 – 28 August 2005) was a Hungarian-Australian mathematician. Szekeres was born in Budapest, Hungary and received his degree in chemistry at the Technical University of Budapest. He worked six years in Budapest as an analytical chemist. He married Esther Klein in 1936. Being Jewish, the family had to escape from the Nazi persecution so Szekeres took a job in Shanghai, China. There they lived throu... more

George Szekeres (pronounced /ˈsɛkərɛʃ/; 29 May 1911 – 28 August 2005) was a Hungarian-Australian mathematician. Szekeres was born in Budapest, Hungary and received his degree in chemistry at the Technical University of Budapest. He worked six years in Budapest as an analytical chemist. He married Esther Klein in 1936. Being Jewish, the family had to escape from the Nazi persecution so Szekeres took a job in Shanghai, China. There they lived through World War II, the Japanese occupation and the beginnings of the Communist revolution. Their son, Peter, was born in Shanghai. In 1948, he was offered a position at the University of Adelaide, Australia that he gladly accepted. After all the troubles he had, he began flourishing as a mathematician. A few years later, his daughter Judy was born. In 1963, the family moved to Sydney, where Szekeres took a position at the University of New South Wales, and taught there until his retirement in 1975. He also devised problems for secondary school... less