I met Igor in the summer of 1954 in Cape May, NJ USCG basic training. We both rode motorcycles and had many adventures together. One was when Igor got his Indian Chief and we rode triple with his dog to Richmond to break it in. It was 6 degrees and He kept stopping for ice cream to warm up.  Others were when we parked our bikes in front of the Cosmos Club to lunch with his Father and working on our bikes at His house and having lunch when His Father was on the phone with Einstein. 

It is so sad to see Igor passed away. Though I have known him only since 2015, he left unforgettable memories of his unique cheerful character, his anecdotes about himself and his father, his vibrant outlook. In November 2015, RASA (Russian-American Science Association) had invited him to their annual Conference in GWU (Washington, DC) to inaugurate RASA George Gamow   Prize (the Association highest distinction for the Russian-speaking scientific diaspora). While many people were impressed with Igor's talk and lined up to chat with him, my daughter - than  15 years old - come up and asked him a "deep meaning" question "Dear Igor, did you father tortured you with physics and math, too?". Igor quickly got it (btw that was actually his 80th birthday) and laughingly answered " No, on opposite - that was my mother dream, but my father actually wanted me to take a more rewarding career and become a dancer!". Rest in peace, dear Igor! Вечная память, покойся с миром! 

My deepest condolences on the passing of Igor. Over the years we spent many hours together discussing science and life, and played perhaps even more hours of tennis. In the final tennis court in Boulder Canyon, sometimes it seemed like bears were watching from the side of the canyon. Deeply human and full of heart. And someone who found Elfrieda as his lifelong wife had uncanny judgment where it counted. Godspeed to you Igor. 

My deepest condolences on the passing of Igor Gamow.  I never met Igor in person but greatly enjoyed interacting with him by phone and via email, to hear his amazing recollections, his insightful thoughts about movies, and so forth.   I learned that he always wanted to be a cowboy and achieved that dream, while having a rich and varied life along the way that included ballet dancing, motorcycling, biology, invention, and book-writing.  His lifelong "brother" was Mr. Tompkins and each had a passion for discovery.   Igor's enthusiasm for so many things was truly wondrous, even to those who knew him only through correspondence.  Happy Trails, Igor the Cowboy

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Crist Mortuary & Cremation and Mountain View Memorial Park

Rustem Gamow

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Rustem Igor Gamow

4 November, 1935 – 15 April, 2021

Crist Mortuary & Cremation and Mountain View Memorial Park

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