Marek Zawadowski

Marek Zawadowski

[Paul Taylor]

Obituaries of colleagues are always sad, but they become
shocking when they are for friends of exactly one's own age.

Marek was a friend, not really a collaborator, of mine.

I first met him at the Cambridge CT conference in 1986,
when we were each finishing our PhD theses.

He helped organise three of my four visits to Poland and
was an excellent host to me and my partner.  On one visit
he helped to return my spectacles to me in London,  after
I had dropped them in a town in the far NE of the country!

My first visit was in 1993, not long after the fall of
Communism.  Warsaw had been flattened by the Nazis and
was now dominated by the Palace of Culture and Science,
a "gift" from Joseph Stalin.   It was said that the best
thing about being in it was that then you could no longer
see the Palace of Culture.

By my second visit, in 2013, numerous "capitalist"
skyscrapers had sprouted up in central Warsaw, so
I asked Marek what he thought of them.

He replied, "which do you prefer, Typhoid, or Cholera?"

It is that dry sense of humour that I will always remember.

After the elections in November I asked him what he
thought and he gave a typically cynical response.
I was hoping to get a more detailed opinion once
Donald Tusk had finally got his feet under the prime
minister's desk.  Now I will not hear what Marek thought.

I know his family has deep roots in Warsaw and his uncle
died in the Uprising against the Nazis (watched by the
Red Army from across the river).  Poland is now restoring
Democracy for the fourth time.  I am very sorry that
my friend Marek will not get to see that flourish.

My commiserations to his partner Justyna, his two sons,
his family and his colleagues.

Sorry for he late reply: I was on holiday in S America.

Paul Taylor.



----------

You're receiving this message because you're a member of the Categories mailing list group from Macquarie University.

Leave group:
https://outlook.office365.com/owa/categories@mq.edu.au/groupsubscription.ashx?source=EscalatedMessage&action=leave&GuestId=4eb9b40c-9b3a-48a5-9781-836e5a171e8b

Marek Zawadowski

[Ryszard Paweł Kostecki]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 1692 bytes --]

With a great sadness and a feeling of a heartbreaking premature loss I
let the categorical community know that Marek Zawadowski has passed away
on Sunday, 3 March 2024.

The funeral will take place in Warszawa, on Monday, 11 March 2024.
(More detailed information is available here:
https://klepsydry.kupamieci.pl/powiadomienie/DBTQMS)<https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/F_FKCyoj8PuvE08XiRRi04?domain=klepsydry.kupamieci.pl>.

I will miss very much his kind presence, sense of humour, and approach
to many things -- in research, and in life. And I will always remain
grateful for his mentorship, which has opened my mind to mathematics.

Here is a photo of Marek from 87th PSSL at Patras (in April 2008):
https://www.fuw.edu.pl/~kostecki/photos/_cqg/marek.jpg<https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/qL1hCzvkmpflvxkgFoRByN?domain=fuw.edu.pl>
and a photo of him, walking the path with André Joyal:
https://www.fuw.edu.pl/~kostecki/photos/_cqg/marek_andre.jpg<https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/5D0aCANpnDCyMnw6uM3MgM?domain=fuw.edu.pl>

Ryszard Kostecki


You're receiving this message because you're a member of the Categories mailing list group from Macquarie University. To take part in this conversation, reply all to this message.

View group files<https://outlook.office365.com/owa/categories@mq.edu.au/groupsubscription.ashx?source=EscalatedMessage&action=files&GuestId=4eb9b40c-9b3a-48a5-9781-836e5a171e8b>   |   Leave group<https://outlook.office365.com/owa/categories@mq.edu.au/groupsubscription.ashx?source=EscalatedMessage&action=leave&GuestId=4eb9b40c-9b3a-48a5-9781-836e5a171e8b>   |   Learn more about Microsoft 365 Groups<https://aka.ms/o365g>


[-- Attachment #2: Type: text/html, Size: 3609 bytes --]

Re: Marek Zawadowski

[Chris Kapulkin]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 3244 bytes --]

Dear all,

I was absolutely devastated to learn about Marek's passing two days ago. 
I benefited immensely from his kindness, patience, and generosity, 
certainly more than would be my fair share. He has been a profound 
influence in my life, having shaped both who I am as a mathematician and 
as a person. I looked up to him for guidance on how to be a good 
researcher, an engaging teacher, and a generous supervisor.

As any of the thousands of students he taught would tell you, Marek's 
signature was his real life analogies for even the most abstract 
mathematical concepts, many of which I have since adopted in my 
teaching. In a first year introduction to proofs course, he would 
explain how the operation of taking the image preserves unions because 
it has a "right friend." He was always funny in what seemed to be an 
effortless way.

Although our mathematical paths diverged in recent years, we stayed in 
touch and he would invite me over whenever I was able to visit Europe. 
The two of us would spend hours in his apartment in Warsaw discussing 
pretty much any imaginable topic from the historical development of 
categorical logic to Canadian politics (which, as I learned from him, is 
far more interesting than it seems!).

Marek's premature death is a great loss: of an outstanding mathematician 
and simply a force for good in the world. He will be missed.

Best,
Chris

On 2024-03-05 7:57 p.m., Ryszard Paweł Kostecki wrote:
> With a great sadness and a feeling of a heartbreaking premature loss I
> let the categorical community know that Marek Zawadowski has passed away
> on Sunday, 3 March 2024.
> 
> The funeral will take place in Warszawa, on Monday, 11 March 2024.
> (More detailed information is available here:
> https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/fVcnCP7L1NfYqQYJTzZxO5?domain=klepsydry.kupamieci.pl) 
> <https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/qS0rCQnM1WfGm7GJsP5TmU?domain=klepsydry.kupamieci.pl>.
> 
> I will miss very much his kind presence, sense of humour, and approach
> to many things -- in research, and in life. And I will always remain
> grateful for his mentorship, which has opened my mind to mathematics.
> 
> Here is a photo of Marek from 87th PSSL at Patras (in April 2008):
> https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/2R_5CRONg6s98N9yuP3bIV?domain=fuw.edu.pl 
> <https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/2R_5CRONg6s98N9yuP3bIV?domain=fuw.edu.pl>
> and a photo of him, walking the path with André Joyal:
> https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/LCAtCVARmOHr1MrzTJeNBT?domain=fuw.edu.pl 
> <https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/LCAtCVARmOHr1MrzTJeNBT?domain=fuw.edu.pl>
> 
> Ryszard Kostecki
> 
> You're receiving this message because you're a member of the Categories 
> mailing list group from Macquarie University. To take part in this 
> conversation, reply all to this message.
> View group files 
> <https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/SslKCWLVn6i7v07Ncmxgdm?domain=outlook.office365.com>   | Leave group <https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/2zubCXLW6Div3mvkc9iH2b?domain=outlook.office365.com>   | Learn more about Microsoft 365 Groups <https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/ocXHCYW86EsRP5RjI3YI9n?domain=aka.ms>
> 

[-- Attachment #2: Type: text/html, Size: 4590 bytes --]

Re: Marek Zawadowski

[Karol Szumiło]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 1082 bytes --]

The news of Marek's passing is immensely saddening. He was among the kindest, most thoughtful and optimistic people I have ever known. He was my first teacher of category theory and his influence over my outlook on mathematics cannot be overstated. Marek was also the one who urged me to take up a job at the University of Warsaw. I count myself lucky for having the benefit of his companionship over the last two years. He will be greatly missed.

Karol Szumiło



You're receiving this message because you're a member of the Categories mailing list group from Macquarie University. To take part in this conversation, reply all to this message.

View group files<https://outlook.office365.com/owa/categories@mq.edu.au/groupsubscription.ashx?source=EscalatedMessage&action=files&GuestId=4eb9b40c-9b3a-48a5-9781-836e5a171e8b>   |   Leave group<https://outlook.office365.com/owa/categories@mq.edu.au/groupsubscription.ashx?source=EscalatedMessage&action=leave&GuestId=4eb9b40c-9b3a-48a5-9781-836e5a171e8b>   |   Learn more about Microsoft 365 Groups<https://aka.ms/o365g>


[-- Attachment #2: Type: text/html, Size: 2967 bytes --]

Re: Marek Zawadowski

[Joyal, André]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 2678 bytes --]

Dear Karol,

I am shocked to learn that Marek Zawadowski has passed away.
I wish to express my condolances to all, especially to you Karol,
to Justyna Grudzinska and to Krzysztof Kapulkin.

 Marek was a very talented mathematician, a great teacher and a very kind person.
He received is Phd from the University of Montreal in 1989 under the direction of Gonzalo Reyes.
He mostly worked in mathematical logic, category theory and higher category theory,
He contributed to the rebirth of the great Polish school of mathematics.
He was passionate about the philosophical and social impact of mathematics.
I will always remember the reception he held with his father in Warsaw during
the celebration of Eilenberg's centenary in 2013.
His father remembered the brutality of WWII.
I wish to his express my condolances to Marek's family.

André Joyal






________________________________
De : Karol Szumiło <karol.szumilo@gmail.com>
Envoyé : 6 mars 2024 01:20
À : categories@mq.edu.au <categories@mq.edu.au>
Objet : Re: Marek Zawadowski

The news of Marek's passing is immensely saddening. He was among the kindest, most thoughtful and optimistic people I have ever known. He was my first teacher of category theory and his influence over my outlook on mathematics cannot be overstated. Marek was also the one who urged me to take up a job at the University of Warsaw. I count myself lucky for having the benefit of his companionship over the last two years. He will be greatly missed.

Karol Szumiło



You're receiving this message because you're a member of the Categories mailing list group from Macquarie University. To take part in this conversation, reply all to this message.

View group files<https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/E55TCWLVn6i7vJOyt6SN2_?domain=outlook.office365.com>   |   Leave group<https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/wwE8CXLW6Div3w2MTVAEbi?domain=outlook.office365.com>   |   Learn more about Microsoft 365 Groups<https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/jHGOCYW86EsRPrM6c9h2c3?domain=aka.ms>



You're receiving this message because you're a member of the Categories mailing list group from Macquarie University. To take part in this conversation, reply all to this message.

View group files<https://outlook.office365.com/owa/categories@mq.edu.au/groupsubscription.ashx?source=EscalatedMessage&action=files&GuestId=4eb9b40c-9b3a-48a5-9781-836e5a171e8b>   |   Leave group<https://outlook.office365.com/owa/categories@mq.edu.au/groupsubscription.ashx?source=EscalatedMessage&action=leave&GuestId=4eb9b40c-9b3a-48a5-9781-836e5a171e8b>   |   Learn more about Microsoft 365 Groups<https://aka.ms/o365g>


[-- Attachment #2: Type: text/html, Size: 12321 bytes --]

Re: Marek Zawadowski

[Chris Kapulkin]

[-- Attachment #1.1: Type: text/plain, Size: 2979 bytes --]

Attached is a picture I took during the reception mentioned by André. 
First on the left, you can see Marek with his unmistakable smile.

Best,
Chris

On 2024-03-06 11:52 a.m., Joyal, André wrote:
> Dear Karol,
> 
> I am shocked to learn that Marek Zawadowski has passed away.
> I wish to express my condolances to all, especially to you Karol,
> to Justyna Grudzinska and to Krzysztof Kapulkin.
> 
>   Marek was a very talented mathematician, a great teacher and a very 
> kind person.
> He received is Phd from the University of Montreal in 1989 under the 
> direction of Gonzalo Reyes.
> He mostly worked in mathematical logic, category theory and higher 
> category theory,
> He contributed to the rebirth of the great Polish school of mathematics.
> He was passionate about the philosophical and social impact of mathematics.
> I will always remember the reception he held with his father in Warsaw 
> during
> the celebration of Eilenberg's centenary in 2013.
> His father remembered the brutality of WWII.
> I wish to his express my condolances to Marek's family.
> 
> André Joyal
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *De :* Karol Szumiło <karol.szumilo@gmail.com>
> *Envoyé :* 6 mars 2024 01:20
> *À :* categories@mq.edu.au <categories@mq.edu.au>
> *Objet :* Re: Marek Zawadowski
> The news of Marek's passing is immensely saddening. He was among the 
> kindest, most thoughtful and optimistic people I have ever known. He was 
> my first teacher of category theory and his influence over my outlook on 
> mathematics cannot be overstated. Marek was also the one who urged me to 
> take up a job at the University of Warsaw. I count myself lucky for 
> having the benefit of his companionship over the last two years. He will 
> be greatly missed.
> 
> Karol Szumiło
> 
> You're receiving this message because you're a member of the Categories 
> mailing list group from Macquarie University. To take part in this 
> conversation, reply all to this message.
> View group files 
> <https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/QhL4CYW86EsRoDANI0b4Qj?domain=outlook.office365.com>   | Leave group <https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/dbOMCZY146sZn7QDcjsiSE?domain=outlook.office365.com>   | Learn more about Microsoft 365 Groups <https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/N3XGC1WLjwsyw6qkFpve6H?domain=aka.ms>
> 
> You're receiving this message because you're a member of the Categories 
> mailing list group from Macquarie University. To take part in this 
> conversation, reply all to this message.
> View group files 
> <https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/jeqPC2xMRkUqoV8RF2Pgq-?domain=outlook.office365.com>   | Leave group <https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/KmeOC3QNl1S1YX2GsQ7Asd?domain=outlook.office365.com>   | Learn more about Microsoft 365 Groups <https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/N3XGC1WLjwsyw6qkFpve6H?domain=aka.ms>
> 

[-- Attachment #1.2: Type: text/html, Size: 4283 bytes --]

[-- Attachment #2: P1180135.JPG --]
[-- Type: image/jpeg, Size: 2447097 bytes --]

Re: Marek Zawadowski

[Robin Cockett]

Let me add my condolences and shock to hear of Marek's death.

I first met Marek in about 1986 -- I think he was a student in Warsaw at the time. I had been invited to talk at the Banach Center by Helena Rasiowa -- my connection to the formidable Helena was actually through her son Zbigniew Ras.  Helena led an effort to keep Polish mathematicians and computer scientists in touch with their western counterparts despite being part of the soviet union ... often through invitations to the Banach Center.

Needless to say I was very excited to travel behind the iron curtain.  Helena had appointed a "chaperone" for me: being rather ignorant I assumed it might be a member of the communist party and a requirement for visitors.  It was, however, Marek!  Not at all communist! Helena knew I was interested in category theory and had paired me accordingly.

At that time it was usual to get some local currency of the country before you travelled there:  I recall going to the bank (in the US) and being told that there was "no exchange rate" for zloti.   So when I arrived at the airport in Warsaw I naively had first in mind to get zloti.  There was a booth to exchange  money so I exchanged some dollars and got what I thought must be a very generous exchange rate.   Marek met me at the gate and the first thing he said was "I hope you did not exchange any money! They give a terrible exchange rate!"  ...  I instantly knew that I could trust Marek!

In fact, the Banach institute gave me a generous stipend in zloti and there was no need to exchange any money.

Marek was an excellent host and introduced me to a Warsaw ... still behind the iron curtain.  Lech Welesa was in prison at that time. The first experience of Soviet life (in  winter) was to discover that the communal hot water did not work as pipes from the power station had burst (actually no one said what happened or even would admit that the system had broken).   I recall Helena -- the realist -- making arrangements so that participants could have a bath in another quarter of the city.

At the end of the meeting I still had a huge amount of zloti so Marek took me shopping.   This was an interesting experience as it consisted of joining queues to find out what they were queuing for!  Needless to say I could not spend all my zloti so I ended up giving them to Marek.   I learned that university staff were not really paid a living wage so these perks (and visiting positions in the US -- often brokered by Helena) were essential.

I was always delighted to see Marek at (Category Theory) conferences and will greatly miss him.

-robin
(Robin Cockett)








----------

You're receiving this message because you're a member of the Categories mailing list group from Macquarie University.

Leave group:
https://outlook.office365.com/owa/categories@mq.edu.au/groupsubscription.ashx?source=EscalatedMessage&action=leave&GuestId=4eb9b40c-9b3a-48a5-9781-836e5a171e8b

Re: Marek Zawadowski

[Tadeusz Litak]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 6970 bytes --]

I'd like to add to the condolences with my own recollection of Marek (and, less importantly, correct some mistaken 
claims in Robin's email).

Ironically, I only met Marek after I left Poland for good, in Tbilisi 2003, at the first edition of the TANCL conference 
(later known as TACL, with "categories" replacing "non-classical logics" in the name). The first immediate impression 
was how youthful he was, in the best possible sense: both physically and intellectually, despite already being an 
accomplished researcher. Having heard that there were other Poles at the event (Tomasz Kowalski and me), he immediately 
descended upon our room, inquiring how many slides we had prepared, and whether we thought that the scorching heat 
outside would reach 40 degrees that day... Within less than a minute, you knew that this was somebody whose excellent 
intellect wouldn't get in the way of good fun and good companionship. And that worked splendidly at that conference.

I also saw soon with admiration and relief  that he was unwilling to respect artificial borders between fields. We 
should admit here that the relationships between category theorists and logicians were sometimes complicated, and as 
usual in such cases, both sides are probably to blame. But Marek was among those researchers who couldn't care less 
about any sectarian divisions. His joint book with Silvio Ghilardi on "Sheaves, Games and Model Completions" is a great 
expression of this spirit. Even very (apparently) inherently syntactic results turn out to allow duality-based proofs 
using their methods. While in the case of uniform interpolation for intuitionistic logic or Löb logic semantic proofs 
using less overtly categorical terminology were found independently by Albert Visser, the potential of their framework 
still needs to be fully explored. An excellent example was provided recently by Silvio Ghilardi and Luigi Santocanale, 
who showed how a (seemingly impenetrable) syntactic theorem by Wim Ruitenburg (JSL 1984) on finite order of 
intuitionistic formulas can be proved using methods of that book.

But one cannot discuss this or anything else with Marek anymore. The only way left to learn from him now is by reading 
his papers. And ancient philosophers often suggested that this is an inferior method of learning from masters.

Now for correcting Robin's claims:

> Helena led an effort to keep Polish mathematicians and computer scientists in touch with their western counterparts despite being part of the soviet union

Let me point out that the Polish People's Republic, while certainly being an unfree, oppressive and poor country, 
equally certainly wasn't a part of the Soviet Union. Had it been the case, Robin, you would have been paid in rubles 
rather than in złotys, for example.

The differences went deeper. Unlike the Soviet Union, the "Polish People's Republic" had powerful individual agriculture 
and Church not controlled by the state. An independent trade union like Solidarity, boasting at its 1980-81 peak more 
that a quarter of the entire population as its members, would have been downright impossible in the USSR.

"The Eastern side of the Iron Curtain" and "The Soviet Union" were not equivalent notions, even if one could hardly 
speak about sovereignty either (can we speak about it these days?).

I don't want to go too deeply into present-day politics, but perhaps this can explain the difference to you: presently, 
the Western world is militarily, economically and politically controlled from Washington. It still doesn't imply that 
Calgary or Warwick lie in the United States. Even though the language is the same (which isn't the case with Polish and 
Russian; in fact rather few Poles spoke fluent Russian even back then in 1986, despite the language being officially 
taught at schools...).

> Lech Welesa was in prison at that time.

Actually, this also seems untrue, unless you got the date of your visit to Poland wrong by five years, and even then it 
wouldn't have been fully correct. In 1981-82, during martial law in Poland, Wałęsa was interned in Chylice, Otwock 
Wielki and Abramowo. These weren't conventional prisons, as the authorities tried to convince him to create a fully 
controlled neo-Solidarity at that time. It didn't work out, Wałęsa didn't commit such a spectacular political suicide, 
Solidarity remained officially outlawed until 1986, but Wałęsa himself got released in November 1982. There were still 
some opposition figures and numerous regular activists who ended up again in prison afterwards (Bogdan Borusewicz, 
Bogdan Lis, Zbigniew Bujak, Adam Michnik, all released by amnesty in September 1986) or were in hiding (Kornel 
Morawiecki, Andrzej Kołodziej). Perhaps you confused Wałęsa with one of them.

This is not such a trivial historical point. Imprisoning a Peace Nobel Prize winner was not something that the 
half-corroded regime, with little popular support and with dramatic need for foreign loans and investments, could afford 
at that stage. Ordinary people were often risking more: if you were caught transporting opposition materials, for 
example, even if you didn't end up in prison, you risked at least your car being confiscated. You can't imagine how many 
years it took to get a car at that time, if you were ever so lucky. And no BBC or Radio Free Europe would protest on the 
behalf of some unknown dude or gal. It would have been easier for security services to beat up or sometimes even kill 
somebody without a high profile, not to mention "trivia" like losing your job.


Anyway, regardless of any infelicities, thanks for this interesting recollection!

t.




> The first experience of Soviet life (in  winter) was to discover that the communal hot water did not work as pipes from the power station had burst (actually no one said what happened or even would admit that the system had broken).   I recall Helena -- the realist -- making arrangements so that participants could have a bath in another quarter of the city.
>
> At the end of the meeting I still had a huge amount of zloti so Marek took me shopping.   This was an interesting experience as it consisted of joining queues to find out what they were queuing for!  Needless to say I could not spend all my zloti so I ended up giving them to Marek.   I learned that university staff were not really paid a living wage so these perks (and visiting positions in the US -- often brokered by Helena) were essential.
>
> I was always delighted to see Marek at (Category Theory) conferences and will greatly miss him.
>
> -robin
> (Robin Cockett)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ----------
>
> You're receiving this message because you're a member of the Categories mailing list group from Macquarie University.
>
> Leave group:
> https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/YxHbCOMK7YcVrQRkHEaYca?domain=outlook.office365.com


[-- Attachment #2: Type: text/html, Size: 7714 bytes --]

Re: Marek Zawadowski

[Robin Cockett]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 8170 bytes --]

I stand corrected and I certainly apologize if I caused offence ... my "dates" may well be as wrong as my "facts".  This was a shocked reaction to the news and just my very impressionistic memories of my visit to Poland, what was happening at that time, and how I first met Marek!

The "Polish People's republic" was, absolutely, an independent state (using zloti)!  It was – from the west's perspective – "behind the iron curtain" but, oh dear, not Soviet.  Most likely,  I simply mixed up Solidarity being outlawed with Lech Welesa being in prison (oh dear!).

Thank you for correcting me. While not being so happy about my insensitive blunders ... you also pointed out more brutally what repression could mean in Poland at that time.  I just wished for it not to be forgotten what a different world that was -- hopefully not to be repeated -- and yet, also, how out of that world grew Marek with his smile.

-robin




________________________________
From: Tadeusz Litak <tadeusz.litak@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 6, 2024 9:52 PM
To: Robin Cockett <robin@ucalgary.ca>; Karol Szumiło <karol.szumilo@gmail.com>; categories@mq.edu.au <categories@mq.edu.au>
Subject: Re: Marek Zawadowski

[△EXTERNAL]



I'd like to add to the condolences with my own recollection of Marek (and, less importantly, correct some mistaken
claims in Robin's email).

Ironically, I only met Marek after I left Poland for good, in Tbilisi 2003, at the first edition of the TANCL conference
(later known as TACL, with "categories" replacing "non-classical logics" in the name). The first immediate impression
was how youthful he was, in the best possible sense: both physically and intellectually, despite already being an
accomplished researcher. Having heard that there were other Poles at the event (Tomasz Kowalski and me), he immediately
descended upon our room, inquiring how many slides we had prepared, and whether we thought that the scorching heat
outside would reach 40 degrees that day... Within less than a minute, you knew that this was somebody whose excellent
intellect wouldn't get in the way of good fun and good companionship. And that worked splendidly at that conference.

I also saw soon with admiration and relief  that he was unwilling to respect artificial borders between fields. We
should admit here that the relationships between category theorists and logicians were sometimes complicated, and as
usual in such cases, both sides are probably to blame. But Marek was among those researchers who couldn't care less
about any sectarian divisions. His joint book with Silvio Ghilardi on "Sheaves, Games and Model Completions" is a great
expression of this spirit. Even very (apparently) inherently syntactic results turn out to allow duality-based proofs
using their methods. While in the case of uniform interpolation for intuitionistic logic or Löb logic semantic proofs
using less overtly categorical terminology were found independently by Albert Visser, the potential of their framework
still needs to be fully explored. An excellent example was provided recently by Silvio Ghilardi and Luigi Santocanale,
who showed how a (seemingly impenetrable) syntactic theorem by Wim Ruitenburg (JSL 1984) on finite order of
intuitionistic formulas can be proved using methods of that book.

But one cannot discuss this or anything else with Marek anymore. The only way left to learn from him now is by reading
his papers. And ancient philosophers often suggested that this is an inferior method of learning from masters.

Now for correcting Robin's claims:

> Helena led an effort to keep Polish mathematicians and computer scientists in touch with their western counterparts despite being part of the soviet union

Let me point out that the Polish People's Republic, while certainly being an unfree, oppressive and poor country,
equally certainly wasn't a part of the Soviet Union. Had it been the case, Robin, you would have been paid in rubles
rather than in złotys, for example.

The differences went deeper. Unlike the Soviet Union, the "Polish People's Republic" had powerful individual agriculture
and Church not controlled by the state. An independent trade union like Solidarity, boasting at its 1980-81 peak more
that a quarter of the entire population as its members, would have been downright impossible in the USSR.

"The Eastern side of the Iron Curtain" and "The Soviet Union" were not equivalent notions, even if one could hardly
speak about sovereignty either (can we speak about it these days?).

I don't want to go too deeply into present-day politics, but perhaps this can explain the difference to you: presently,
the Western world is militarily, economically and politically controlled from Washington. It still doesn't imply that
Calgary or Warwick lie in the United States. Even though the language is the same (which isn't the case with Polish and
Russian; in fact rather few Poles spoke fluent Russian even back then in 1986, despite the language being officially
taught at schools...).

> Lech Welesa was in prison at that time.

Actually, this also seems untrue, unless you got the date of your visit to Poland wrong by five years, and even then it
wouldn't have been fully correct. In 1981-82, during martial law in Poland, Wałęsa was interned in Chylice, Otwock
Wielki and Abramowo. These weren't conventional prisons, as the authorities tried to convince him to create a fully
controlled neo-Solidarity at that time. It didn't work out, Wałęsa didn't commit such a spectacular political suicide,
Solidarity remained officially outlawed until 1986, but Wałęsa himself got released in November 1982. There were still
some opposition figures and numerous regular activists who ended up again in prison afterwards (Bogdan Borusewicz,
Bogdan Lis, Zbigniew Bujak, Adam Michnik, all released by amnesty in September 1986) or were in hiding (Kornel
Morawiecki, Andrzej Kołodziej). Perhaps you confused Wałęsa with one of them.

This is not such a trivial historical point. Imprisoning a Peace Nobel Prize winner was not something that the
half-corroded regime, with little popular support and with dramatic need for foreign loans and investments, could afford
at that stage. Ordinary people were often risking more: if you were caught transporting opposition materials, for
example, even if you didn't end up in prison, you risked at least your car being confiscated. You can't imagine how many
years it took to get a car at that time, if you were ever so lucky. And no BBC or Radio Free Europe would protest on the
behalf of some unknown dude or gal. It would have been easier for security services to beat up or sometimes even kill
somebody without a high profile, not to mention "trivia" like losing your job.


Anyway, regardless of any infelicities, thanks for this interesting recollection!

t.




> The first experience of Soviet life (in  winter) was to discover that the communal hot water did not work as pipes from the power station had burst (actually no one said what happened or even would admit that the system had broken).   I recall Helena -- the realist -- making arrangements so that participants could have a bath in another quarter of the city.
>
> At the end of the meeting I still had a huge amount of zloti so Marek took me shopping.   This was an interesting experience as it consisted of joining queues to find out what they were queuing for!  Needless to say I could not spend all my zloti so I ended up giving them to Marek.   I learned that university staff were not really paid a living wage so these perks (and visiting positions in the US -- often brokered by Helena) were essential.
>
> I was always delighted to see Marek at (Category Theory) conferences and will greatly miss him.
>
> -robin
> (Robin Cockett)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ----------
>
> You're receiving this message because you're a member of the Categories mailing list group from Macquarie University.
>
> Leave group:
> https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/Vu42CD1vRkC2r2j5iWb0gm?domain=outlook.office365.com



[-- Attachment #2: Type: text/html, Size: 13204 bytes --]

Re: Marek Zawadowski

[George Janelidze]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 1004 bytes --]

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I would like to repeat all good words said about Marek and, as I am sure many of you would, add my own good words... But how could such a tragedy happen? I had a friendly exchange of several messages with Marek during February 20-24, and there was no sign that he is not well (actually we agreed to do something that would take several months...).

George


You're receiving this message because you're a member of the Categories mailing list group from Macquarie University. To take part in this conversation, reply all to this message.

View group files<https://outlook.office365.com/owa/categories@mq.edu.au/groupsubscription.ashx?source=EscalatedMessage&action=files&GuestId=4eb9b40c-9b3a-48a5-9781-836e5a171e8b>   |   Leave group<https://outlook.office365.com/owa/categories@mq.edu.au/groupsubscription.ashx?source=EscalatedMessage&action=leave&GuestId=4eb9b40c-9b3a-48a5-9781-836e5a171e8b>   |   Learn more about Microsoft 365 Groups<https://aka.ms/o365g>


[-- Attachment #2: Type: text/html, Size: 3501 bytes --]

Re: Marek Zawadowski

[Ross Street]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 1458 bytes --]

Dear Colleagues

The loss of Marek comes as a real shock to me.
I emailed him recently asking whether he would referee a paper.
He told me he was undergoing treatment but could begin a report
after June. I said I would ask other people and, if I had no suitable
report by June, I would take up his offer. He confirmed that he
was happy with that on 27 February.

I agree with all the comments about Marek's pleasant nature
and I respect his great contribution to mathematics.

Please if you can, Ryszard, convey my sincere condolences to Marek's family.

Ross

On 6 Mar 2024, at 11:57 am, Ryszard Paweł Kostecki <Ryszard.Kostecki@fuw.edu.pl> wrote:

With a great sadness and a feeling of a heartbreaking premature loss I
let the categorical community know that Marek Zawadowski has passed away
on Sunday, 3 March 2024.



You're receiving this message because you're a member of the Categories mailing list group from Macquarie University. To take part in this conversation, reply all to this message.

View group files<https://outlook.office365.com/owa/categories@mq.edu.au/groupsubscription.ashx?source=EscalatedMessage&action=files&GuestId=4eb9b40c-9b3a-48a5-9781-836e5a171e8b>   |   Leave group<https://outlook.office365.com/owa/categories@mq.edu.au/groupsubscription.ashx?source=EscalatedMessage&action=leave&GuestId=4eb9b40c-9b3a-48a5-9781-836e5a171e8b>   |   Learn more about Microsoft 365 Groups<https://aka.ms/o365g>


[-- Attachment #2: Type: text/html, Size: 5568 bytes --]

Re: Marek Zawadowski

[Richard Blute]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 2236 bytes --]

I’m so sad to hear this. Many years ago, Marek and I shared an office as postdocs at McGill. He was always a kind and decent soul, always willing to talk to any student who wanted his advice. I saw him again recently for the first time in many years, and it was like we were still postdocs sharing an office.

From: Ryszard Paweł Kostecki <Ryszard.Kostecki@fuw.edu.pl>
Date: Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at 12:16 PM
To: categories@mq.edu.au <categories@mq.edu.au>
Subject: Marek Zawadowski
Attention : courriel externe | external email
With a great sadness and a feeling of a heartbreaking premature loss I
let the categorical community know that Marek Zawadowski has passed away
on Sunday, 3 March 2024.

The funeral will take place in Warszawa, on Monday, 11 March 2024.
(More detailed information is available here:
https://klepsydry.kupamieci.pl/powiadomienie/DBTQMS)<https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/2eRpC4QO8xSNGMWQIOlqTH?domain=klepsydry.kupamieci.pl>.

I will miss very much his kind presence, sense of humour, and approach
to many things -- in research, and in life. And I will always remain
grateful for his mentorship, which has opened my mind to mathematics.

Here is a photo of Marek from 87th PSSL at Patras (in April 2008):
https://www.fuw.edu.pl/~kostecki/photos/_cqg/marek.jpg<https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/SB2hC5QP8ySmO5KQFOayrC?domain=fuw.edu.pl>
and a photo of him, walking the path with André Joyal:
https://www.fuw.edu.pl/~kostecki/photos/_cqg/marek_andre.jpg<https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/LSBdC6XQ68f2xj9AsmLD_4?domain=fuw.edu.pl>

Ryszard Kostecki


You're receiving this message because you're a member of the Categories mailing list group from Macquarie University. To take part in this conversation, reply all to this message.

View group files<https://outlook.office365.com/owa/categories@mq.edu.au/groupsubscription.ashx?source=EscalatedMessage&action=files&GuestId=4eb9b40c-9b3a-48a5-9781-836e5a171e8b>   |   Leave group<https://outlook.office365.com/owa/categories@mq.edu.au/groupsubscription.ashx?source=EscalatedMessage&action=leave&GuestId=4eb9b40c-9b3a-48a5-9781-836e5a171e8b>   |   Learn more about Microsoft 365 Groups<https://aka.ms/o365g>


[-- Attachment #2: Type: text/html, Size: 6048 bytes --]