John Nash was an iconic feature of Princeton

One of the best mathematicians of the 20th century was John Nash. After being given a paranoid schizophrenia diagnosis in 1959, Nash went back to work at Princeton. He was well-known by this point and would walk around campus wearing a distinctive pair of red sneakers and writing his calculations on whiteboards. The students who encountered him recognized him and liked him.

After being observed solving math problems in the Princeton hall at all hours, Nash also earned the nickname "Phantom of Fine Hall." Finally, he won the "Most Original" award from his peers.

Christopher Eisgruber, the president of Princeton, said of Nash's significance to the campus community: "John's remarkable achievements inspired generations of mathematicians, economists, and scientists who were influenced by his brilliant, groundbreaking work in game theory, and the story of his life... moved millions... who marveled at [his] courage in the face of daunting challenges."

In the end, one of the more intriguing aspects of Nash's biography is how, during the course of his illness, his concepts quietly gained traction in fields as diverse as geometry and partial differential equations, biology, and economics. Without a doubt, Princeton served as a calming influence during turbulent times, assisting Nash in regaining his bearings. It is assured of this. However, there was obviously reciprocity in the giving. To Nash's credit, the brilliant uniqueness that occasionally made life challenging for him can today be found haunting the whiteboards, lecture notes, and textbooks used to train Princeton's future grads.