I'm embarrassed to say that, despite my own long affiliation with the math department, I did not know Surjit Khurana at all in that context. But where I did encounter him regularly was in our shared eastside neighborhood, where we both were regular walkers. For many years I saw him walking with his wife, and they always had a friendly wave for me. Later, after Surjit was widowed, we continued to wave at one another on our walks—most recently just a few months ago. I am deeply sorry to hear of his death, and wish that I had taken the time to stop and talk. He always felt to me like a fellow-traveler on the walk of life.
