August 7, 2023
A memory of Jason that brings a smile to my face dates to when I was a graduate student at Princeton in the 1990s. I was sitting next to my advisor, the late Tony Dahlen, and asked him how old Jason was. Jason’s office was across from Tony’s, so Tony yells across the hall: “Jason, how old are you?”. There is no answer. So, Tony yells again: “Jason, what year were you born?” Jason yells back: “1935.” Tony replies: “Jason, you are 55 years old.”
The same year, Jason’s office was declared a fire hazard by the Princeton University Fire Marshall, because it contained about 15 man-sized stacks of reprints and papers. But if you came to ask him a question, he would be able to locate the right reference instantly, without fail.