HARVEY B. RICHER (1944-2023)

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Professor Harvey Brian Richer, on Monday, November 13, 2023.

Harvey was born and raised in Montreal but relocated to British Columbia in the early 1970s. Harvey was a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at UBC for over 50 years and passionately devoted his time to exploring the cosmos. He reveled in collaborating with his peers both locally and globally to further our understanding of the evolution of stellar astrophysics. An avid lover of the arts, numismatics, astronomical outreach programs and the pursuit of athletics, Harvey had a profound impact on the lives of everyone he encountered and will be deeply missed by his family, colleagues and dear friends.

The funeral took place on Thursday, November 16th at the Beth Israel Cemetery Chapel in Vancouver.

To read the complete online obituary, see:
Professor Harvey Richer (https://www.paperman.com/en/funerals/2023-11-16-professor-harvey-richer)

 
Harvey in his natural habitat

 

 
Dr. Harvey Richer with rarities on display at the Bank of Canada exhibit

Canadian astronomer, professor and numismatist Harvey B. Richer, who wrote two authoritative books on Newfoundland gold coins and on Canada's top 100 coins and tokens, died on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023.

A long-time numismatist whose day job included groundbreaking research in astronomy and physics at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Richer has published more than 175 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals, including Nature and Science. His first numismatic book came in 2017 with The Gold Coins of Newfoundland, 1865-1888. His second book, 100 Greatest Canadian Coins and Tokens, was released in 2022 by U.S.-based Whitman Publishing.

According to the About the Author profile in his second book, Prof. Richer was one of Canada's largest users of the Hubble Space Telescope over the past 20 years. In 2014, he was named the recipient of the Carlyle S. Beals Award of the Canadian Astronomical Society, given for lifetime achievement. He was also named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the foremost academic society in Canada and of similar stature to membership in the National Academy of Sciences in the United States.

To read the CanadianCoin News article, see:
Prolific author Harvey B. Richer ‘a valued member of the numismatic community' (https://canadiancoinnews.com/prolific-author-harvey-b-richer-a-valued-member-of-the-numismatic-community/)

 

The Richer Medal was established in 2016 thanks to a generous gift from Harvey B. Richer, a former Director of CASCA and Professor at the University of British Columbia.

The Richer Medal is awarded every second year, in odd-numbered years, in recognition of significant and sustained early career research in astronomy. To be eligible, the nominee must be a member of CASCA in good standing, and a Canadian astronomer or an astronomer working in Canada.

To read the complete article, see:
Harvey B. Richer Gold Medal for Early Career Research in Astronomy (https://casca.ca/?page_id=7914)

For more on Harvey's career, see:
Celebrating Harvey (http://richer.stellar-astrophysics.org/about.html)

To read earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
NEW BOOK: GOLD COINS OF NEWFOUNDLAND (https://www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n29a04.html)
NEW BOOK: 100 GREATEST CANADIAN COINS AND TOKENS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v25/esylum_v25n33a05.html)
BOOK REVIEW: 100 GREATEST CANADIAN COINS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v25/esylum_v25n38a05.html)

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web