[CPM-SPIRE-L] the ultimate Raconteur

[Laxmi Parida]

Alberto, the perfect gentleman
I formed an  indelible bond with Alberto ever since his  visit to the IBM 
Research lab, in 2001-2002.  He spent roughly six to eight months at the 
institute and I got to know him at many different levels: a collaborator, 
a friend, a mentor, a confidant.  He helped me buy my car. Quickly 
realizing my ignorance on the subject, one fine afternoon he drove me to 
the dealer and did all the negotiating. The result: I drove home a brand 
new BMW. He warned me not to wiggle in my car since the BMW, being the 
fine piece of engineering that it is, would wiggle with me. 
Later, during that visit I once invited Alberto and family home for 
dinner. In the foolishness of my youth, I made the error of serving some 
Italian inspired dishes (I remember what I had cooked but will spare you 
the details). Few days later two Italian-Cooking magazines mysteriously 
appeared in my mailbox. I now shudder to think that I even served him some 
local wine. It was later that I was to learn about his taste in wine (and 
food). And,  somewhere along the line,  like David Sankoff, I have also 
become a regular consumer of Prosecco.

The year 2008 was special. I missed the celebration in CPM at Pisa. I 
organized a small surprise birthday party for Alberto at the Trieste 
School (attached picture). And, I had the good fortune of staying at his 
place in Padova during my birthday, where he had a surprise cake for me 
(attached picture). Sometime, between the two celebrations,  I was on his 
boat (attached pic with Rosa).

Penchant for positivity
I have never ever heard Alberto say a negative thing about anything. He 
had this uncanny knack for giving a positive spin to all. 
Once I had worked for weeks on a proof of a theorem, but, as luck would 
have it, it all collapsed. I was very disappointed and when I told Alberto 
about it, he said, again in a style that only he can say,  "a lot can be 
salvaged from the rich debris of a wreck".  Sure enough, he joined me in 
the rescue effort.

Here is a hilarious one, that always brings a smile to my face.
Once after a week in DIMACS, where we had co-organized a workshop, I came 
home to a very tall pile of dishes in my kitchen sink. Later I was 
complaining to Alberto about this and he said  "You are lucky  that the 
dishes were not all over the house-- under the sofa, behind the TV, on the 
bed, etc etc where they could very well have been. At least, they were 
neatly placed in the sink for your convenience." 

Well, there is one exception. Even Alberto could not get himself to say 
something nice about yogurt. He did not like yogurt. He was only too happy 
to give the credit for inventing yogurt to the Greeks (or, Indians when I 
so insisted).

Simply funny
Alberto loved to spend the month of August sailing. I have heard great 
many boat stories from some of you and from Alberto.  Here is a little one 
of mine:
Once I had to reach him during the month of August and needed his 
signature urgently for a document. Given his location, he said that I 
should feel free to replicate his signature (let me assure the reader that 
this was for a very innocuous purpose) and so I did. A few more  times as 
well. Then later he came back to me saying if I could send him a copy of 
his signature, so that he could study it and replicate his own signature, 
for the future.

The Perfectionist
People who know me also know of my strange desire to get one in a real or 
fake tango pose for a Kodak moment. Alberto always dodged my request, 
perhaps because the perfectionist in him didnt like the idea of faking, 
and pushed someone else to oblige me. But finally, he gave in at one of 
our Dagstuhl workshops (maybe because Titti silently insisted- attached 
picture).

As I recall and write these, I realize how he touched our lives in so many 
ways. 
Unquestionably, a great scholar with depth as well as breadth- almost an 
impossibility to achieve. I continue to work closely with many of his 
academic descendants. At a personal level, he was a perfect gentleman and 
the nicest man I have ever known. I will always miss him.

Laxmi

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