Israel Gelfand (1913-2009) is often considered one of the greatest mathematicians of the Twentieth Century. He published dozens of books and over 400 articles in a variety of mathematical fields, including group theory, representation theory, and functional analysis. Gelfand was known internationally as an outstanding and passionate teacher, as well as for his famous seminars in mathematics and biology, which were attended by the most prominent specialists in the field. He had a remarkable ability to adapt his presentation of difficult concepts so they would be easily understood by his audience, whether that was children or experienced professors. In 1964, he created the Correspondence School in Mathematics (ZMSH) in Moscow, and later on, the Gelfand Correspondence Program in Mathematics (GCPM) at Rutgers University, both of which made mathematics available to a broad range of students. His goal was to pass on to students his belief that mathematics is simple, beautiful, and a part of human culture which anyone can learn and enjoy, just like literature, poetry, art, and music.
