Bruce Velde (1938–2024)

in Chicago, Illinois.He grew up in the suburb of Lombard, did his undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 1956 to 1959 (some may remember the loud blue and orange Illini jacket he wore to the lab, to his wife's dismay), and his doctorate in Missoula, Montana from September 1959 to December 1962, on a Federal graduate fellowship and under the supervision of John Hower, who remained a source of inspiration for Bruce over the years.His time in Montana was very formative, and he retained a great love for the American West and its people.His French colleagues may have noticed his enduring fondness for native American silver belt-buckles.Five and a half years from high school to doctorate seems rather short by modern standards, especially considering