Michael Lieber's Obituary
Michael Lieber died December 23, 2024, just a few days shy of his 88th birthday. He was born in Brooklyn, NY on December 28, 1936, the oldest son of Joseph Lieber and Sara (née Schwartz) Lieber. After graduating from Stuyvesant High School in 1953, he attended Cornell University on a state scholarship, where he majored in physics and math. After graduating from Cornell in 1957, he went to Harvard University where he received his Ph.D. under the guidance of Nobel laureate Julian Schwinger. En route to the Ph.D., he had experience in industry, primarily at Avco Corporation where he was chief of the Scientific Problems section. After finishing his Ph.D., he accepted a post-doctoral research position at New York University. In 1970, he accepted an offer to join the faculty of the Physics Department at the University of Arkansas as an assistant professor, where he spent the rest of his career, rising to full professor and serving as department chair for one term. He retired with the rank of professor emeritus in 2011, but he was coaxed from retirement a few times to teach specialized classes, and he continued to come to campus daily to meet with his colleagues until the pandemic changed his routine.
Mike enjoyed music and the theater, especially opera, and he attended TheatreSquared, SoNA, Walton Arts Center, Opera in the Ozarks, and Live from the Met productions. He also loved to travel, with his most recent excursions including Singapore, Cambodia, Machu Picchu, and the Galapagos Islands. He had been looking forward to visiting Germany and Prague in Summer 2025.
As much as he enjoyed expanding his horizons, he prioritized his family over everything else. He loved connecting with relatives near and far, those closely related and more tenuously; if the relatives were college-aged and could benefit from tutoring, advice, or just a good argument, even better. He took pride in everyone's accomplishments and delighted in following everyone's adventures as though they were his own. And because he was an expert worrier, no one else had to worry very much at all.
Mike was pre-deceased by his parents, his brother Edward, and by his son, Kenneth. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Eileen (née Saffron), his brothers Stephen and Richard, his two accomplished daughters, Laura (Scott Strain) and Debbie Deere (Tom), his daughter-in-law Dana, and six grandchildren.
Cremation arrangements were under the direction of Nelson-Berna in Fayetteville, and a memorial service will be held in the spring. Condolences may be given online at: www.bernafuneralhomes.com. Donations may be made to Temple Shalom of Northwest Arkansas, P.O. Box 3723, Fayetteville, AR 72702, and, as per his own wishes, mourners are encouraged to lift a glass of their best Scotch whisky in his memory. L'chayim to a full life, well-lived to the very end.
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