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Communiqué – 5 octobre 2022
Société mathématique du Canada

In Memoriam : Alan Walter Kelm (3 mai 1964 – 30 septembre 2022)

C’est avec une profonde tristesse que la Société mathématique du Canada (SMC) partage la nouvelle du décès de notre collègue Alan Kelm, gestionnaire des services électroniques.

Alan est né à Regina et a grandi à Saskatoon. Il excellait en langues et est resté un linguiste amateur tout au long de sa vie, apprenant le grec, l’hébreu, le latin, l’allemand, le roumain, le polonais, le français et le russe. En 1984, il a déménagé à Ottawa pour obtenir son doctorat en mathématiques, où il a rencontré sa femme, Angie. Ils se sont mariés en 1992 et ont célébré leur 30e anniversaire le 29 août 2022. Alan a donné des cours universitaires pendant un certain temps avant de commencer sa carrière à la Société mathématique du Canada, dont il fait partie intégrante depuis près de trois décennies. Son travail inlassable et son dévouement nous ont aidés à grandir et à apprendre en tant qu’organisation. Alan connaissait par cœur les rouages de la SMC et on pouvait toujours compter sur lui pour aider (et enseigner) les nouveaux collègues.

Beaucoup le connaissaient comme le gestionnaire des services électroniques de la Société mathématique du Canada, mais il était bien plus que cela pour le personnel du bureau exécutif. Alan faisait partie de notre famille, était un collègue et un ami très cher. Il manquera profondément à tous ceux qui ont eu le plaisir de travailler avec lui et de le connaître.

Les collègues d’Alan ont souhaité partager leurs bons souvenirs de lui :

Alan was the heart of the CMS. His intelligence, compassion, and mentorship fostered a positive working environment. He was a wonderful colleague and a dear friend to many of us. We are deeply saddened by this loss and will miss him greatly. He adored his family, and to them I wish to extend my deepest sympathies. – Termeh Kousha, Executive Director

We are profoundly saddened by the loss of our dear friend and colleague. Alan had been a pillar for the CMS for well over two decades, steadfastly working with dedication to manage our electronic systems and support our other operations. We will miss him deeply.  To his beloved family we extend our most heartfelt condolences. – David Pike, President

I had the pleasure of working with Alan for 19 years. He was one of the most caring and gentle people I know. It was comforting to know he was there to help whenever needed. I appreciated Alan’s dedication, attention to detail and sage advise. Alan will be dearly missed. – Yvette Roberts, Finance and Operations Manager

Alan Kelm was an extremely dedicated member of the CMS Executive Office for over 25 years.  He made many contributions to the significant growth of the CMS over this time, particularly as Manager of the CMS Electronic Services. He was always there to go above and beyond in so many ways. He will be greatly missed as a colleague and as a dear friend of the Society. – Graham Wright, Former Executive Director

I knew Alan since he was a graduate student at the University of Ottawa. I had the pleasure to teach in parallel with him on many occasions. I got to know how much he was loved and respected by students and colleagues alike. He always had a solution for any problem and faced every challenge with a reassuring smile. I also worked with him on many projects for the CMS and got to appreciate his deep devotion for the CMS and for what it represents. Alan passing is a big loss for his family, the CMS and the Canadian mathematical community. Rest in peace my friend. – Joseph Khoury, Math Camps Committee Chair

There are no words to express the sorrow on Alan’s passing.  I worked with him for almost 14 years and during that time he was always so helpful and knowledgeable while being professional and friendly. Alan was a kind soul, and he will be solely missed by all who had the pleasure of working with him. Rest in peace Alan. – Denise Charron

Alan was always a joy to work with and had such a calming quiet presence. He knew everything about the CMS and could recall people he worked with decades prior and always had something nice to say about every one of them. He could recall every minute detail about a project and often came up with questions that nobody else would ever have thought of. Alan never left a detail to chance and put so much thought into every email and project he worked on. Everyone can recall the very long emails from Alan where he wrote every piece of information you would need. He was caring and always offered praise and acknowledgments when someone was working hard on a particular project. He always made me feel like what I did mattered and would always be sure to check on my well-being when working longer than usual hours. It was clear that he cared. Alan loved the CMS and put his everything into supporting the CMS. He was more than an employee, he was a real piece of the CMS and a great force behind all the CMS initiatives over the last 30 years whether it was a meeting you attended, or a competition you wrote, Alan was behind them all. He will be greatly missed by the entire CMS community. – Sarah Watson

Bien qu’Alan ne soit plus parmi nous, il vivra à travers le merveilleux héritage qu’il a créé et dans la mémoire de tous ceux qui ont eu le plaisir de le connaître.

* Une période de visite aura lieu au Salon funéraire McEvoy-Shields, 1411, avenue Hunt Club, Ottawa (Ontario), le mercredi 5 octobre 2022, de 18 h 30 à 20 h 30. Les funérailles auront lieu jeudi à 11 h et les visites débuteront à 10 h à la mission orthodoxe St. Porphyrios (édifice de l’Église anglicane St John), 110, chemin Ferguson Falls, Carleton Place, ON. L’inhumation aura lieu au cimetière anglican St John et une légère réception suivra.

 

Pour plus d’informations, veuillez contacter:

Termeh Kousha
Directrice générale, Société mathématique du Canada
tkousha@cms.math.ca

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