A celebration of Alex Feingold's retirement [Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Binghamton University]

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{{ :news:2026:img_01_9560.jpeg?200 |Happy Retirement, Alex!}}
===== A celebration of Alex Feingold's retirement =====
==== Details ====



On April 30, 2026, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics gathered to honor Professor **Alex Feingold**, who is retiring after 47 years on the faculty. Colleagues, current and former students, family and friends — including Alex's wife, **Nancy Tittler**, Professor Emerita of Russian Studies — filled the room for an afternoon of food, tributes, and well-wishes.

{{ :news:2026:img_01_9560.jpeg?500 |Happy Retirement, Alex!}}

The reception opened in the late afternoon, with attendees mingling over coffee, savory snacks, and a chocolate cake inscribed "Happy Retirement, Alex!" Among the guests were Binghamton University Provost **Donald Hall** and his predecessor, **Donald Nieman**, both of whom came to mark the occasion.

{{:news:2026:img_04_9599.jpeg?500|The reception begins}}

{{:news:2026:img_03_9578.jpeg?400|Alex with Provost Donald Hall}} {{:news:2026:img_9669c.jpeg?400|Provost Emeritus Donald Nieman (left) and Professor Emeritus Fernando Guzman}}

{{:news:2026:img_02_9572.jpeg?500|Alex with Lorenzo Ruffoni}}

A highlight of the afternoon was the cake-cutting, which Alex undertook with the precision one would expect of a mathematician.

{{:news:2026:img_05_9580.jpeg?500|Cutting the cake}}

{{:news:2026:img_06_9589.jpeg?400|The first slice}} {{:news:2026:img_07_9593.jpeg?400|Alex with his retirement cake}}

After cake, the formal program began. Department Chair **Xingye Qiao** opened the proceedings with remarks on Alex's many contributions to infinite-dimensional Lie algebras and vertex operator algebras and to the life of the department.

{{:news:2026:img_08_9609.jpeg?500|Opening remarks}}

The audience listened from tables arranged near the tall windows, where the campus's redbud trees were in full bloom.

{{:news:2026:img_09_9614.jpeg?500|Listening to tributes}}

Tributes came from near and far. One speaker addressed the gathering remotely by Zoom; in person, former student **Quincy Loney** offered warm recollections of working with Alex as an advisor.

{{:news:2026:img_10_9625.jpeg?500|Remarks by Quincy Loney}}

A younger colleague, **Daniel Studenmund**, also spoke about Alex's role in shaping the department and mentoring its newer members.

{{:news:2026:img_11_9640.jpeg?500|Remarks by Daniel Studenmund}}

The tributes ranged beyond the department. **Elaine Livingston**, a fellow board member of the Binghamton Figure Skating Club, spoke about Alex's longstanding passion for figure skating. For many years Alex served as president of the club, and, like Elaine, he was a USFSA Gold Medalist — a rare distinction earned by only a handful of members.

{{:news:2026:img_9638.jpeg?500|Remarks by Elaine Livingston}}

When his own turn came, Alex thanked everyone who had attended and reflected on a career that began with his doctorate at Yale and brought him to Binghamton in 1979 — more than four decades during which he taught generations of students, mentored Ph.D. advisees, and contributed to the rapidly developing fields of Kac–Moody algebras and vertex operator algebras. He spoke from prepared notes but with the warmth and humor that have long marked his teaching.

{{:news:2026:img_12_9646.jpeg?400|Alex addresses the gathering}} {{:news:2026:img_13_9660.jpeg?400|Reflecting on a long career}}

After the program, attendees stayed on to chat — current and former students trading stories with the guest of honor, longtime colleagues catching up by the windows.

{{:news:2026:img_14_9674.jpeg?400|Mingling after the program}} {{:news:2026:img_15_9675.jpeg?400|Old colleagues catch up}}

We wish Alex a long, happy, and productive retirement.