Jack Douthett

Jack Douthett, age 78, passed away on Tuesday, May 18, 2021 after a long illness. He was born on November 24, 1942, to Woody and Ann Douthett and was raised and lived in Albuquerque most of his life. Jack leaves behind his beloved wife, Leah; along with siblings, Mark Jackson, Adriane Anderson, Anne Parks, Jane Fischer, Ellen Webb, Kirk Jackson, and Val Miller, several nieces and nephews, and many friends.

Jack earned a bachelor's degree in music, two masters' degrees in music, and a PhD in mathematics all from the University of New Mexico. He was a well-known mathematician, musician, and music theorist. He published 35 professional research articles and book chapters in the areas of mathematics, physics, acoustics, and music theory. He is best known for his research on maximally even sets and Neo-Riemannian theory. See more on his research at https://scholar.google.com.

In his early adult years, Jack played classical guitar and performed at the Santa Fe Opera and at Lincoln Center in New York City. He was an avid mountain runner and won several medals for his races. In the 80s and 90s, Jack owned a music store in Albuquerque and taught music lessons. After that he taught mathematics at the Central Community College of New Mexico (CNM), and mathematics and music at the University of Chicago and the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Jack served on the organizing committee of the Clough Music Symposiums from 1993-2002. He served on the Board of the Society for Mathematics and Computation in Music from 2007 to 2020. He served on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Mathematics and Music from 2006 to 2020. Jack served on the Board of the John Donald Robb Musical Trust, in partnership with the University of New Mexico, from 2002 to 2018.

A celebration of Jack's life will take place in Albuquerque this August. Please contact Leah Kier at Lkier5@comcast.net for more information. In lieu of flowers, donations to an Animal Rescue organization or Environmental organization would be welcomed.