  Keith Brueckner was a theoretical physicist of considerable technical power
who came of age as the mysteries of the atomic nucleus were coming into focus.
His fundamental contributions to the "many-body problem" had a lasting impact
on our understanding of how the macroscopic behavior of matter emerges from the
underlying microscopic rules. A passionate and accomplished mountain climber,
he listed the American Alpine Club below the National Academy of Sciences on
his vitae. During decades of complex interactions between the physics community
and the United States government, he helped build structures that allowed him
and many others to provide advice on classified matters, but also actively
raised funds to support opposition to the war in Vietnam. At the peak of his
career, he left the Ivy League to help found and build a new university in a
small village filled with Marines and retirees - La Jolla, California.
