Email message from Richard Stanley, Oct.17, 2024

Dear Doron,

Very sorry, but I have aquired some flu-like symptoms here in Beijing.
Since I am supposed to get up early tomorrow (Friday) morning for a flight
to Japan, I think it will be too exhausting for me to attend the Surprise
Party. Please convey to Dominique my congratulations on achieving his 90th
birthday, and my best wishes for many more. I have always regarded him as
one of the founding fathers/mothers of modern enumerative combinatorics.
He should be considered to be the natural successor of MacMahon. His work
on permutation statistics, the Cartier-Foata "commutation monoid,"
q-analogues, etc., have had a great influence on my work. He has also
shown me great hospitality and friendliness throughout my career. I
especially remember my visit to Strasbourg with my family (including my
children aged 3 and 5), where I shared with Dominique many interesting
mathematical discussions, fine French cuisine, and much sightseeing
suitable for small children.

Happy Birthday, Dominique! Also thanks to Doron for organizing such a
great tribute!

Best regards,
Richard