Physics Professor David Weaver passed away the evening of Tuesday, Apr. 4, shocking the Tufts community.
Weaver began teaching at Tufts in the late 1960s as a particle theorist, but he then moved on to the area of molecular biophysics. He also chaired the physics department for a decade.
"He was a good friend and a good colleague," said current Physics Department Chair William Oliver. "[His] death was completely unexpected. He seemed to be perfectly fine on Monday."
The cause of Weaver's death remained undetermined at press time.
Weaver's death was particularly surprising in light of his strong recovery from previous health trouble: Weaver had experienced a mild stroke in 2004, but he recovered and continued teaching at Tufts.
He also broke his hip in a fall earlier this academic year.
"What hits me most is how he made such an incredible effort to make this comeback here," Physics Professor Leon Gunther said. "It stands out in his personality that he didn't let this situation push him down."
Weaver's comeback fell in line with his dedication to the University: After coming to Tufts in the late 1960s, he taught on the Hill up until his death.
"I've known him for a long time," Physics Professor Gary Goldstein said. "When I came to the department, David was already here."
Weaver was notable in that he changed his specialty while at Tufts.
"When we switch like that, we have to be students all over again," Gunther said. "That's a real big load."
Before coming to Tufts, Weaver worked as a post-doctoral fellow at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland from 1965 to 1966.
"When he first came here, it was really the growth period for particle physics," Goldstein said. "He certainly was one of the important members."
Weaver worked with numerous graduate students. This semester, he taught "Physics 52: Thermal Physics" to undergraduates.
"He was meticulous in preparing for courses," Gunther said. "Everything that he wrote down you could read very clearly."
"David was a person who was very easy to like and get along with, even-tempered, and always helpful to people," Goldstein said. "He certainly was closely connected to Tufts all those years and served on several committees, as we all do. He had a lot to do with the shape of the department."
Peter Malave, a sixth-year physics graduate student who had been working with Weaver, found his passing "awfully sudden."
The two would meet to discuss their work at Weaver's house. During that time, Weaver would share stories of his life.
"[He] played basketball [and] was really always active," Malave said.
He would tell us "we weren't only physics students, we were like his physics kids," Malave said. "[We] felt like he was our father."
Malave is unsure of how to continue their joint project.
"I wasn't far enough along in any of the problems to really take over," he said.
Based on his visits, Malave said that Weaver and his wife "were happy" and looking forward to his retirement from Tufts.
University President Lawrence Bacow wrote in an e-mail to the Daily that though he did not know Weaver personally, "I know his colleagues are deeply saddened by the loss of a valued colleague."
In his e-mail, Bacow also wrote that "a memorial service [at Tufts] is being planned."
Physics Professor Emeritus Alan Everett took over the last part of Weaver's thermal physics course directly following Weaver's spring 2004 stroke.
"[Everett] is going to come back from retirement and finish up the course again in the same way he did two years ago," Oliver said.
He added that "David was the only one in our biophysics department. That's going to be a problem."
Weaver is survived by his wife and three sons, the youngest of whom is a Tufts graduate.
- Marc Raifman contributed reporting to this article
