A renowned scholar, talented archaeologist and one of five people in the world who was able to decipher Mayan hieroglyphics, Associate Professor Pierre Colas is remembered as a mentor and a friend.
"He was an inspiration to me and many other students," said PhD student Danielle Kurin, who met Colas when he came to Vanderbilt two years ago. "Here you had this young, unassuming guy who spoke six languages, finished his PhD in record time and won some of Europe's most prestigious grants, who was at the same time a kind and gentle human being - no ego for someone who had attained so much success so young."
The students of his class, however, saw him as more than a professor who constantly challenged and motivated them. They remember him as friend who would bring M&Ms to class before tests, join students in his office - a shrine to ancient Mayan archaeology - for cappuccino and invite them to his house for beer and quesadillas while watching the sunset from his porch.
Kurin recalls when they saw Mel Gibson's "Apocalypto."
"Pierre was one of the few people in the world who actually spoke the Mayan language in the film," Kurin said, "and I remember him getting so worked up about the horrible accents of the actors -almost shouting at the screen."
A colleague and fellow archaeologist, Assistant Professor Francisco Estrada-Belli met Colas in a remote Mayan site in Guatemala while collaborating on a documentary for German TV.
"We became instant friends on that 2005 expedition, and when we became colleagues at Vanderbilt, we kept that close friendship," said Estrada-Belli. "On his first night in Nashville we went 'honky-tonking' on Broadway. That was his favorite thing to do."
Michael Tidwell, Colas' roommate of six months, remembers his passion for reading, intellectual discussions and chess.
"We played many times and he always beat me," said Tidwell. "Yet he never gloated over his wins, nor did he become bored by my inferior playing. After each game he would review it and try to figure out how I had lost ... He believed that everyone was rational, and that made him an excellent teacher and something of an optimist about this world."
Friends and colleagues all remember Colas for his humility, generosity, compassion and humor for life.
"He could find something laugh-worthy in any situation, and when he laughed, he guffawed. He had a distinct way of laughing that incorporated his entire body," said Tidwell. "He very rarely was upset about anything because he could almost always turn it into a joke."
"He enjoyed life and liked to share this joy," said friend and colleague Norbert Ross. "All of us who had the privilege to know him benefited quite a bit from his presence."
