Courtesy of Warren Robak Walter
Karplus
By Marjorie Hernandez
Daily Bruin Reporter
Cool, calm and collected ““ these were words used to
describe Walter Karplus, interim dean of the Henry Samueli School
of Engineering and Applied Science. Among his colleagues, Karplus
was not only a leader, but a friend.
But after a long battle with lung cancer, Karplus, 74, died
Sunday at his home.
“It was a shock to all of us,” said Chand
Viswanathan, chair of the UC Academic Senate and a former UCLA
professor of electrical engineering who knew Karplus for 43
years.
“Like everybody else, I am feeling very sad,”
Viswanathan continued. “He was a good man ““ a gentle
man. It’s a great loss to UCLA as well as to his
friends.”
A faculty member for more than 40 years, Karplus took the
position of interim dean for the School of Engineering when Frank
Wazzan stepped down in July.
Karplus chaired the computer science department from 1972-79 and
was president of the Computer Simulation Laboratory. He served for
many years as director of the Center for Experimental Computer
Science at UCLA.
Karplus was known among his peers for his intelligence,
dependability and calm demeanor.
“He had a wit that was unsurpassed,” said professor
of computer science Leonard Kleinrock. Karplus was key in
“smoothing out differences in the department politics,”
Kleinrock said.
A pioneer in the engineering school and computer science
research, Karplus employed virtual reality, which allowed doctors
to observe blood flow through aneurysms deep inside the human
brain.
Karplus’ expertise was sought by several government
agencies and was often called upon as an expert witness in
computer-related cases. He held scientific positions with Hughes
Aircraft Company, International Geophysics and Sun Oil.
His plethora of awards include a Fulbright Fellowship, a
Guggenheim Fellowship, the Senior Scientific Award of the Society
for Computer Simulation, the Silver Core Award of the International
Federation for Information Processing and an Achievement Award from
NASA.
Outside of UCLA, Karplus served as a director of the American
Federation of Information Processing Societies. He was also
president of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Neural Networks Council in 1995 and 1996.
Karplus wrote a number of articles, editorials and books,
including “The Heavens are Falling: The Scientific
Predictions of Catastrophes in our Time.”
Aside from researching and teaching, Karplus enjoyed coin
collecting, trips to Las Vegas and playing poker games while
exchanging views on politics and philosophy with colleagues.
“This was a charming gentleman … he was caring, never
confrontational,” said Kleinrock, who first met Karplus
during his interview for an assistant professor position.
“People went to him for advice and for a sense of
stability,” Kleinrock said.
A nature lover and frequent traveler, Karplus traveled
throughout Europe as a lecturer, enjoying hikes into the
Himalayas.
Born in Vienna, Austria, Karplus earned degrees from Cornell
University and the University of California.
He is survived by his wife, Takako, and two children, Maya and
Tony.
“It’s an unthinkable loss,” Kleinrock said.
“He was the soul of our department and the ultimate source of
wisdom and good judgement from which we all benefitted. He was a
classy gentleman and it exuded in each pore of his body.”
A memorial service will be held 3 p.m. Nov. 25 in the James West
Alumni Center. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that
donations be made to the American Cancer Society.