Happy Tom having a rest.

Mónica, Tom and Rozan after having eaten a nice Paella.

Tom and Pablo.

Tom was a great man, not only for his intelligence and wisdom, but for humanity and his way of treating people regardless of their condition. He was a wise man who was within everyone's reach.

It has been a great honor and privilege to meet him. I still remember the feeling I had when I learned that He would be the chearman in the session where I was going to present a work with AHP at EURO XXI 2007. After this Congress, his trip to Spain was for our group (Monica, Juan Pascual, Jerónimo, Rocío and I) a very important support.

We will continue working to apply and teach AHP / ANP and keep Tom's memory alive.

Pablo and Mónica

Tom and Rozann prepared to eat a huge Valencian Paella.

Tom and a millenary olive Spanish tree.

Tom and Rozann at the Technical High School of Industrial Engineering in Universitat Politècnica de València

ISAHP 2011 Sorrento, Italy

I first met Tom in Sept 2007 in Gaeta, Italy. Bye Tom, thanks for your lessons and your inspiration. 

I invited Tom to talk to my decision-making class in Spring 2015. He was so fascinating that one of my students told me that his talk had been akin to having an out-of-body experience.

Tom motivated a whole generation of scholars and practitioners to dedicate their professional life to the improvement of decision-making through the use of AHP/ANP.  This is one of my best memories of him, when he addressed the attendees of the ISAHP2014 in Washington, DC.

I attended one of Tom’s last AHP classes at Katz. He was already in Chemotherapy treatment and had lost hair so he would wear a red beret that gave him a very distinctive look. I was surprised that he sill maintained such a high level of energy to teach his class.

The first time I met Tom was in 2005 with my twin sister Laura during our vacation in Pitt.

For me Tom was one of the most important “event” in my life. He "marked" both my personal and academic life.

In 2011 I have had the opportunity to spend a period in Pitt with Tom and Rozann. The period that I have spent in Pitt with Tom and with Saaty's family it was one of the most beautiful and unforgettable times in my life.

I am so sorry for his loss. He will be missed.


Love,
Antonella

Tom, Rozann, and Bu Kirti delivered 2-hours lectures on AHP to my students at Universitas Atma Jaya Yogyakarta Indonesia on Friday, November 4th, 2011.

As Yogyakarta is 11 hours ahead of Pittsburgh, then it was 7 AM when we had a video conference  at our university and 8 PM (previous day) in Pittsburgh when in the evening Tom had to drive from his home to  the university for this video conference. 

Even, to make sure the video conference went well, Tom said we should do the testing the day before.

Later, on June 19th, 2012 Tom and Rozann again delivered the lectures on ANP to my students through video conference.

It shows me how Tom trully devoted his life to sharing his knowledge with others.

When Tom and Rozann gave me an opportunity to visit Pittsburgh for attending Tom's Creativity and Decision Making class,  Tom told me  the story about "sharing to others" through many examples of his life. At the end of story Tom expressed how happy he was to have Rozann in his life as he said to me: " I am happy to marry with the woman (Rozann) who also loves to share".

Love you Tom...

 

I met Tom almost casually…It was possible thanks to Laura, my graduate student who in 2004 made a thesis applying the Analytic Hierarchy Process. Then, we had the opportunity to meet Tom personally several times.

It was a love at first glance. His speed of thought, his total availability, his openness to share his ideas and the comparisons between us on the most diverse topics, had instantly approached me to Tom and to Saaty’s family.

His teachings, the strength of his ideas, his great communicative skills will always and forever accompany my human and scientific life.

No one has ever marked my path as it has done  Tom and no one will ever replace Tom.

I have always considered Tom a “big brother” to whom to trust everything and with whom to share everything...he was a precious friend and a precious "gift" on my “path”.

I am very grateful to Tom and his teachings. Tom will always stay in my heart wherever he is!

This is a certainty in my life. I ensure it. This is the greeting that I leave to you, my Dearest Friend Tom.

You will always be with me. Forever.

With immense love,

Fabio

We as a group from King Abdulaziz University (Saudi Arabia) have joined a short course with Prof Saaty – nearly two weeks, under the coordination of Prof Asma Bahormoz and myself. I can assure that was one of the unique courses we have attended under his supervision. Tried his best to get as much as time allow to get benefit out of him. It was really innovative and fantastic course. The group and I got a lot, my self has unique materials and information, that till now I share these with my students to ignite some innovative thinking, at the middle of some classes. Not me, I am sure many colleagues have enjoyed and learned a lot. Thank you so much Prof Saaty, still remember your great memories. Wish Rozann and your family all the best.

Prof. Yasser Balila 

I am a Chinese visiting scholar from 1/12/2016 to 30/11/2017.

Before I came to Pittsburgh, I found that Tom published a paper as a sole author in world top journal a few month ago. From that time on, my heart is full of respect for his persevering in working.

My first meet with tom is in his office. This time, the deepest impression he gave me is his independence. Although walking between the elevator and his office is very hard and tiring for him, he insisted in walking by himself. I tried to help him, as it is a good behavior in China, but he refused. While we waited for the elevator, he leaned against the wall to get a rest. Then, he walked to his car independently.

My wife and I had twice talk with Tom in his backyard. We talked a lot with laughter, from academics to daily life. Not only his intelligence and sharp mind impressed us, his optimism, humor and kindness attracted us also. He gave us the feeling of intimate eldership.

I miss Tom very much. 

Tom was a humble intellectual giant who is also approachable and willing to discuss issues openly with anyone. He always supported and guided us even at our European Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics (EJPAM). In 2007, while founding the journal, when there is no published issue, I invited him to be on the Editorial Board as an Advisory Editor at EJPAM, he kindly accepted my invitation.

I requested a paper from him for the inaugural issue of the EJPAM, he immediately replied me with his 86-page paper like a book. We have published his great paper as Honorary Paper in the inaugural issue in January 2008. Tom was also the first contributor to our journal. I believe Tom always brings us a holistic synergy. He always believed and trusted us.

This year, in June, from Tom, I requested an Honorary Invited Paper to be dedicated to the 10th anniversary of EJPAM, he did immediately send his another outstanding paper entitled Origin of Neural Firing and Synthesis in Making Comparisons (with Luis G. Vargas). We published his joint paper last month, in July. We think Tom has published his last paper at European Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics. He is our role-model and beloved Advisory Editor forever.        
In his last email, Tom said me "We all have to go sometime" and he has gone! 

Tom, I will always remember you as a delightful, modest and great man and an intellectual giant. As lovely Rozann says “the best way to honor his memory is to spread awareness of AHP.” We will work to honor Tom's memory in our capacity.

Thank you very much, Tom. I will always miss you! 

Eyup Cetin

 

I met Tom in the Fall of 1975 when I came to study under him from Spain.  From the beginning, I was considered part of his family.  After 40 years spent with him I cannot find words to express the sadness I feel, but I am happy to think that perhaps now he has found the answers he was looking for to the innumerable questions he had about physics, mathematics, science and life in general.  I only wish that he could share those answers with us.

It was an unforgettable evening with our whisky ceremony, with Tom, Rozann, Min-Suk Yoon and Enrique.. My God, hundreds memories.. I remember that day with tears in my eyes now...

Dear Tom

I received Ph.D. and M.B.A. degrees using AHP and have been interested in ANP.
My wife also got the master degree using the AHP and ANP.
Automatically, the AHP/ANP have been a part of my life until now.

I never expected the birthday card that I sent a month ago would be the last one to you.
We love you forever.

Thank you very much, Tom.

I know Tom since 2007, when I was a PhD student moving my first steps into the AHP world, which gave so much to my personal and professional growth.
I could share several memories from my most recent life, having also chaired the ISHAP2016. Instead, I want to share this picture, because it reminds me the incredible attention Tom had for younger colleagues. He was so attentive, supportive and paternal every time I had a question, a doubt or I asked for advices. Not only AHP related. This is the main lesion I learned from you, Tom. I do my best to emulate you in that. Here we were in Sorrento, for the ISAHP2011, and Tom wanted to know all about my daughter and my wife.

I’ll miss You deeply, and will continue to keep telling your jokes to my classes.

Sincerely,
Leandro

One day I enjoyed talking with Tom via email and asking him some questions about happiness and being positive. I would like to share some of his answers.

I asked him how happy have you been in your life? He answered:

On the whole I feel happy and satisfied. I have a nice family, nice friends like you and nice working opportunities. It is all in the mind.

And you can make it as you like. It is better to be happy and understanding than to be unhappy and resentful. Remember it is all how we decide to see it.

I asked him how to be positive in bad situations. He answered:

We are an accident of nature, one in 500 million sperms compete to make us. That is what we are talking about. You need to find a way to interpret things positively even if you were the poorest and most miserable person born on the street of Calcutta.

I wrote I might be able to interpret things positively but how to believe in them? He answered:

That is why I like to teach people to be creative. Your thinking and believing come close because you stop talking and start doing things. It is the easiest thing to be a negative philosopher. After all we are all going to be dead some time. It takes COURAGE to think and believe and know how to create meaning by trying and trying. It is the new religion of our world to use our creativity to reinvent it the way we want. This is how Americans believe. We are all part of the human race and WILL try to make it free as best as we can. It is a very exciting theme for evolution. We are the ones who create consciousness and all that it entails. Through the positive and good things we do we create our idea of god. We have no understanding what a god is like except by trying it ourselves to create.

When I read his answer I thought I should stop sending him emails and asking him more questions! However, he didn't mean it. He asked me to continue writing.

He liked to enlighten people. I will miss him a lot.

a wonderful couple changed my life...

I have bought a blue tshirt to you on that day, which is your favourite color, of course with the help of Rozann. Thanks to her I had a chance to cheer you up, when you opened it, you said heeey look at that, my favourite color .. but the nice bathrobe from your children was the best..

You are the best present to this world, I used to think that I am aware of this, now I understand and feel it better.

 Your absence is so painfull... What are we going to do now ?