Karl Haushalter

Colleague

I fondly remember Bob as a colleague with keen insight, incredible breadth of interests, and a real love for the work that he did with our students. Whenever we had a chance to eat lunch together or serve on a committee together, I greatly enjoyed talking with him because I always felt that I left our conversation having learned something. He will be deeply missed.

Bob Cave

Colleague

Bob and I shared a love of jazz and saw several concerts together. He knew much more than I did but was a patient tutor and a wonderful companion.

When I was Associate Dean I had to organize advising groups around topics of interest for students and faculty. Bob was always the first person to step up and volunteer with a jazz-themed group. First-year students loved it and it was a spectacular opportunity for them.

Bob was humble, smart, funny and wise. This is a difficult loss for the community, and for me personally.

Sarah Jacobson ’98

Student

One of my strongest memories from my undergraduate years was that Professor Keller invited me into his home for Thanksgiving dinner, as I was stuck on campus over the holiday. That kindness made me very grateful and has stayed with me over the years.

Mimee Xu ’15

Student

Professor Robert Keller was my undergrad advisor in computer science. He also taught me Logic and Computability (&42). He was very proud of his academic lineage (~twice removed from Church). Very few people know this but he made slides down to every half minute for his lectures, lest he forgot what was to follow. Unfortunately, his prepared jokes were often lost on the class, so he chuckled to them himself. While I was not the easiest kid to deal with, he showed the utmost patience when I needed obscure (nevertheless always urgent) paperwork done for immigration.

In 2015, a few months after my graduation, I saw on LinkedIn that Prof. Keller had endorsed me for “Python”.

Geoff Kuenning

Departmental colleague

Bob was still department chair when I joined Mudd in 1998, and served as a mentor and role model for me until the day he died. He was a true Renaissance man; he taught foundational courses like CS 60, theoretical ones like CS 81, advanced electives such as Neural Networks (a branch of AI), and even systems courses such as Parallel and Real-Time Programming. As if that weren’t enough, he also taught one of his first loves, jazz, as a voluntary overload.

Bob was always available for guidance when anyone had a knotty problem–whether it was a CS challenge or a career question. I knew I could count on him to consider all sides of an issue and offer sage advice. In department meetings he always spoke in a quiet voice that we all listened to carefully because we knew his broad experience and keen insight would bring out an important aspect of an issue that we hadn’t thought about.

I deeply miss Bob; the CS Department has lost one of its most essential members.

Elizabeth A. Baughman

Worked in Advancement

Bob had such a gentle spirit about him. After talking with Bob I always walked away feeling peaceful. A very talented and kind person. I always appreciated hearing his music.

Kacyn Fujii ’13

Student

I took CS42 with Prof. Keller as a freshman and was also in his Jazz class a couple of times. He often was in his office late at night and would help me out despite the late hour (I definitely asked too many questions as a freshman, but he put up with me). One time, I asked him if I could borrow some equipment for my Wednesday nighter performance. Not only did he say yes, but he actually came to my performance to support me. His commitment to his students and community will be remembered.

Victor ’15

Student

Prof. Keller was my CS 81 professor. I loved that course and I just found an email that he replied to of mine at 1:40am about a homework assignment. He really shined in office hours. He was passionate about the material and loved to provide extra help if you sought it out from him. I will miss him dearly. This is a big loss for the CS department & for the Mudd community in general. Sending my thoughts, prayers & love to his family and to the larger Mudd community.

Xanda Schofield ’13

Student, Colleague

Bob was one of my early CS professors, my first research advisor, and for a short while, my department colleague. Working with him on Impro-Visor back in 2011 was revelatory: Bob’s belief in the power of synthetizing creative work and computational rigor changed my whole idea of what it meant to be a computer scientist. His generosity with his time and support was also incredible; I remember his quick late-night responses to class and research questions, his impromptu jazz piano tutorial during my summer of research with him, and the joy when he and Noel took the research group to see Les Mis as a group research trip. He was an amazing scholar, teacher, and person, and the positive effect he had on so many people will be felt for many years to come.

Rohi Bagaria ’14

Student

One of my favorite weekend activities, during my time at Mudd, was to watch interesting, independent films that Laemmle Theater brought to Claremont Village. I often ran into Prof Keller at the theater. While I haven’t take any classes with him, he knew me from various CS department events. We always smiled, nodded and acknowledged our interest in films when we we saw each other at the Laemmle. Mudd has lost a dedicated professor who truly embodied the Mudd mission to “educate engineers, scientists, and mathematicians well versed in all of these areas and in the humanities and the social sciences…”