Shigeji Fujita PhD

Dr. Shigeji Fujita, age 94, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, with his devoted family at his side. He was born on Wednesday May 15, 1929, in Oita Japan. The son of the late Shigeto and Makio [nee Eyama] Fujita. Dr. Fujita was a Physics Professor at SUNY Buffalo. Beloved husband of Sachiko Fujita, father of Michio [Karen], Isao, Yoshiko [George], and Eriko [Kurt], and grandfather to Maya and Kazuki After receiving a BS in physics from Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan he came to the U.S. in 1956 with a US-Japan Fulbright award to pursue a PhD at the University of Maryland in College Park. Sachiko, who he had met in Fukuoka, came to join and marry him in 1958. After receiving his PhD and spending a year at Northwestern University as a research associate, they moved to Belgium for Shigeji to become a Senior Research Associate at the Universite Libre de Bruxelles, in the lab of IIya Prigogine [1977 Chemistry Nobel prize recipient], from 1960 - 1964. It was an exciting place to be for a physicist, with opportunities to meet scientific heroes like Niels Bohr and Richard Feynman. Shigeji and Sachiko loved their time in Belgium, enjoying new cultural experiences and Europe, and making lots of friends and colleagues. They returned to the US in 1964 for Shigeji to assume visiting professor positions at both Penn State University and the University of Oregon, before coming to SUNY Buffalo in 1966. Shigeji became a full Professor in the UB Physics Department in 1968. He retired in 2010 after 44 years at UB. Shigeji was a theoretical physicist with research interests in non-equilibrium statistical mechanics and condensed matter theory including superconductivity. If you had the slightest interest, or he thought you might, he would love to talk to you about Fermi surfaces. Besides physics, Shigeji loved being outdoors with his family, hiking in the mountains, camping, downhill and XC skiing. After he and Sachiko moved to Canterbury Woods in 2019, he walked daily around the pond regardless of the weather. He also enjoyed traveling farther afield; he and Sachiko loved visiting local and natural parks, and they went often to Japan, Mexico, and Europe [ he especially loved the Alps]. One memorable overseas sojourn was five months in Moscow on a National Academy of Sciences exchange in 1976; being in the Soviet Union was an eye-opening experience for the family. He and Sachiko were longtime season ticket holders for the Buffalo Philharmonic, and he was a big fan of the Buffalo Billsl and the Buffalo Sabres. A Celebration of Life will be held in his honor on Saturday, November 4th from 2:00 - 4:00 pm in Coventry Hall at Canterbury Woods at 705 Renaissance Drive Williamsville New York 14221. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to your favorite local, state of national park. Family and friends are invited to sign the on-line guest book, share a favorite memory of Dr. Fujita and light a tribute candle here on his tribute page. Final arrangements have been entrusted to the Kevin M. Mason Funeral Home 154 Weimar Street Buffalo New York 14206. [716] 362-0199 Fax: [716] 462-5355 Email: kevinmmason@yahoo.com www.kevinmmasonfuneralhome.com

Shigeji Fujita PhD

May 15, 1929 - October 10, 2023