Dr. Bruno Linder

Bruno Linder was born in Sniatyn, Poland, on September 3, 1924. His father left Poland in 1929 for the small island of Curacao. Four years later, after he was established, he sent for his family. In 1933, at age 8, Bruno moved with his mother and 3 siblings to Curacao, Netherlands Antilles. By the time Bruno came to the United States in 1946, at age 22, he spoke 7 languages. He earned a B.S. in Chemistry at Upsala College, NJ in 1948, an M.S. in Chemistry at Ohio University in 1950, and a Ph.D. in Chemistry at UCLA in 1955. Following a post-doctorate fellowship at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Prof. Linder joined the faculty at FSU in 1957 where he taught and did research until his retirement in 1998. He and his graduate students and postdoctoral associates published numerous scientific papers in prestigious journals. The Linder Theory on the behavior of liquids is named after him. He was the founder of the Southeastern Theoretical Chemistry Association (SETCA). Following his retirement in 1998, he continued to teach occasional classes and wrote two textbooks on physical chemistry.

Bruno also contributed heavily to the Jewish community. He was a founder of the Jewish Federation of Tallahassee and served as its President. In addition, he served for numerous years as advisor of FSU’s Hillel program.

Bruno’s academic achievements were many, but it was his special personality that had such a profound effect on those who knew him. Bruno was modest, sweet and had a great sense of humor. His deep love of humanity and life and genuine respect for everyone’s innate uniqueness and goodness profoundly touched the lives of those who knew him. His quiet, supportive nature made him a father figure to friends, students, and acquaintances, as well as family. Perhaps the feelings of one of his granddaughters sums up how many of us feel about him:

“I learned from my grandpa that happiness is a choice. Despite the sometimes tragic turn that life can take, you can always focus on what is still beautiful and smile. Till the end he cared more about how other people were doing than the state he was in. Despite the physical state he found himself in his last years, he maintained a strong state of mind and spirit and always thought of others before himself. This was something that no one and no event could take away. His warmth and generosity emanated from his genuine smile and showed that happiness truly comes from within. In addition to his professional accomplishments, his true legacy comes in the compassion and generosity that he will pass down through the generations.”

Bruno was predeceased by his two brothers, Salo and Felix Linder and his sister, Ann Cordon. He is lovingly remembered and survived by his wife of 66 years, Cecelia Fahn Linder, his 5 children, Bill, Diane, Richard, Nancy, and Carolyn, his 16 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Bruno’s deep, loving spirit will always be in our hearts.

The family wants to express their deep gratitude to Bruno’s exceptional support team:

-Yvonne and her wonderful team of caregivers: Valerie, Dennis, Michelle, Kelvin, Abrianna, Gwen, and John.

-Otis and Diane who drove him everywhere he had to go.

-All of his medical specialists.

In lieu of flowers, those so desiring may send contributions to Tallahassee Jewish Federation. P.O. Box 14825, Tallahassee, Florida 32317-4825.

A service will be held at 11AM on Monday, February 11th, 2019 at Temple Israel (2215 Mahan Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32308) with a burial to follow at Roselawn Cemetery. Following the burial a reception will be held at Culley's MeadowWood Funeral Home, (700 Timberlane Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32312).