Preface: A biographical note on Prof. Gaetano Giaquinta, a mentor and a friend

Abstract

We provide some biographical information about Prof. Gaetano Giaquinta, who passed away on the 13th of August 2016, after a long disease. Prof. Gaetano Giaquinta was for us a mentor, a guide, and ultimately a friend. His words have assisted us not only along our scientific and academic path - as students first and as professors afterwards - but also in our everyday  lives. His teachings are a reference, to which we still confidently turn, when we need solace or advise.