TATOMIR P. ANĐELIĆ

(1903 - 1993)

The cover page of the university non-standard textbook — a monograph Mechanics of shells and plates published in 1975, co-authored by academician Anđelić and P. M. Ogibalov, gives a brief outline of review Anđelić's scientific biography:

Dr Tatomir P. Anđelić, professor of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Belgrade, full member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts and International Astronautical Academy in Paris.

T. P. Anđelić studied mathematics, physics and astronomy which lead to his formation as theoretician of mechanics. He published over 70 works, among which are 9 university textbooks. He addressed the problems of rational mechanics, Riemann geometry, numerical methods in mathematics, and also historical and philosophical problems of mechanics. He is very active in scientific societies, especially in disseminating scientific knowledge. T. P. Anđelić was a Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and now is a Director of Mathematical Institute of the SR of Serbia. He is decorated with the Order of Labor With Red Flag and Order for Merits With Gold Star.

Necrology written by corresponding member BoŽidar D. Vujanović said: On August 7,1993, prof, dr Tatomir P. Anđelić deceased, full member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts and full professor of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics... Professor Anđelić was spiritually rich, highly educated and very talented person, whose work at the University left to scientific audience and to the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts deep trace that is highly valued in Yugoslav and foreign scientific circles... it is rightly considered that professor Anđelić is the founder of the Belgrade school of mechanics. Many generations of students will remember him as a brilliant professor, reliable and wise adviser and director of scientific projects, doctoral dissertations and studies...

Only two years before, during the ceremonial opening of a scientific meeting on January 18,1991, held in honor of academician Tatomir P. Anđelić, academician Aleksandar Despić, in his welcome-address, on behalf of the Serbian Academy, expressed the honor and pleasure to open the meeting and among other, said: This honor and pleasure is great one due to the fact that I myself belong to the pleiad of persons to whom professor Anđelić, over 50 years ago, gave the very first knowledge on the power and possibilities of mathematics and mathematical way of thinking. In my first contact with the secondary school, at that time II Boy's Gymnasium in Belgrade, the first one who described to me what the term "space" means was young supplent Tatomir Anđelić, straight as a pine tree, and for us school pupils, high as a tower.

That first encounter and the period of two years of meeting professor Anđelić, will remain in my memory for ever.

On the same meeting professor Veljko Vujičić emphasized the contribution of Tatomir Anđelić's study on the motion of nonFholonomic system in fluid, importance of scientific and educational activity for the development of our school of mechanics, and on that occasion he said: ... I consider it is necessary to emphasize that, to some extent, the role of school of Suslov is over-stressed with us, and that distinguished place that belongs to T. P. Anđelić concerning the development of our school of mechanics is not sufficiently valued. Success of our analytical mechanics and continuum mechanics primarily are based on solid mathematical foundations of Belgrade school, in majority on functional and tensor analysis and differential geometry. Considerable value is to be found in books of professor Anđelić dealing with the problems of matrix, vector and tensor calculus.

On a commemorative meeting academician Vladan Đorđević said that professor Anđelić had a long and very fruitful life, that he was in good health which enabled him to be active for a long time, and that he wrote his last book Introduction to Astrodynamics at the age of 80. He also said that professor Anđelić was highly respected and esteemed person, surrounded with love of his family and his associates. He finished his expose with professor Anđelić's words: In nature and in the world round us everything is changing and in that constant transformation — development and decline — nothing occurs without anything that have not existed before and that caused appearance of new things, and he concluded saying that today ... Professor Anđelić is no longer among us, but at a number of faculties of natural sciences and mathematics, technical faculties and scientific institutes in our country, many scientific workers are engaged in theoretical or applied mechanics and who, directly of indirectly, came from his school of mechanics...

His bibliography is found here.

Author: Stevanović-Hedrih Katica