Henryk Minc, age 93, passed away peacefully on July 15, 2013 in Santa Barbara. Henryk is preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Catherine and his brothers Tadik and Ralph. He is survived by his sons, Robert, Ralph (Vicki) and Raymond (Lisa), his grandson Jeff and other extended family.
Henryk was born in Lodz, Poland on November 12, 1919. He escaped Poland during World War II and joined a Polish army unit of the British Army. While stationed in Tayport, Scotland, he met Catherine Duncan and they were married in 1943. After the war, he studied at the University of Edinburgh, where he received a PhD in math-ematics.
After teaching at the University of British Columbia and University of Florida, he accepted a professorship in 1963 at U.C. Santa Barbara. Between 1966 and 1988, Henryk wrote and/or co-authored 10 textbooks and numerous research publications in the area of advanced mathematics. Additionally, he published many scholarly articles for the Biblical Archaeologist and the Bulletin of the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity.
Henryk enthusiastically pursued many hobbles. His interest in biblical archaeology and numismatics led him to become an expert collector of antiquities. He spoke at least 5 languages and was able to read and understand several ancient languages, including ancient Hebrew and Greek. He was a skilled musician and played several instruments, including the harpsichord, recorder and bagpipes. He was an avid swimmer, logging in about a mile a day for forty years. During the last 30 years he developed a passion for all things Scottish, enjoying many trips to Scotland with Catherine, playing the bagpipes and actively participating in the Santa Barbara Scottish Society. He developed a love for the Scottish poet Robert Burns, collecting many books and manuscripts written by the author. He was most proud of his appointment as the Honorary President of the Robert Burns World Federation.
A graveside memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, July 22 nd , at the Goleta Cemetery, 44 South San Antonio Road. A reception will follow at the home of Ralph and Vicki Minc.
