For a couple of years after we moved into Cambridge, our neighbour was W. W. Sawyer, mathematician, Professor Emeritus, author of several popular books, and general thorn (for his continued criticism of "modern maths") in the educational establishment's side.

I heard a couple of days ago that Walter died in February. He was 96. He had been living with his daughter in Toronto and them more recently moved to a nursing home there. I got reports from time to time. He was still sharp, still playing chess.

Searching for him on the web today, there's less than I would have expected about the man himself, given the influence he had on people I've mentioned him to. There's a good biography here along with a number of his papers; one of his books (Prelude to Mathematics) is currently available online.