James Glimm: mathematician, friend, mentor

A description of Jim's contributions to mathematics would take us far beyond our expertise. Jim was never content to spend too long in any one area of mathematics. Operator algebras, hyperbolic systems of conservation laws, uid dynamics, quantum field theory and statistical mechanics and the computational aspects of applied mathematics are just a few of the areas to which Jim has contributed. Here we relate a few impressionistic recollections of personal interactions, together with some ideas about his work in quantum field theory and statistical mechanics. In spite of the non-technical character of these observations, we hope nevertheless that they will provide pleasure for our dear friend and for other readers as well.