Richard Schwartz died unexpectedly at his home on Saturday, 12 December. Although he had been sick for over a
month, he was preparing to begin chemotherapy for Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma so his sudden passing was a great shock.
Richard got a BS from Carnegie-Mellon University in 1974 and a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley,
in 1984. After a couple of years at JPL, he came to Goddard and joined Ken Frost’s X-ray group working on the solar flare data from the Hard X-ray Burst Spectrometer (HXRBS) on the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM). Since then he has been involved in the analysis
of data from almost every space mission that has made high energy solar flare observations. His biggest role has been the scientist responsible for the RHESSI data analysis software. He was playing a similar role for the Spectrometer/Telescope for Imaging
X-rays (STIX) on the Solar Orbiter. His main skill was the ability to combine scientific understanding with efficient computational techniques.
Richard’s problem solving capabilities, prodigious memory, insightful but often acerbic wit, and imposing presence
will be sorely missed by his many friends at Goddard and around the world in the international high-energy solar physics community.
Brian R. Dennis
10450 Lottsford Road, Cottage #2115
Mitchellville, MD 20721
301-925-7279 – home
240-601-2378 – cell