From what I have seen there are a couple of ways to do this...
First, for some people facial recognition and remembering personal details are just a skill, like any professional. I dated a girl once who would see a face in some random city, recognize it, and connect "Are you Bobby's little brother from Hawkins Middle School?" And they would reply, "Yeah, that was 20 years ago, who are you?" It was amazing.
Second, some of the best sales people I know write down the details of an interaction when they meet people. Just a quick dossier on what they discussed, details about the person, etc. And they study it to help aid memory and create a closer connection the next time they meet. This helps retain details that can be shared...Your profs wife may add a note with all those numbers so even if she doesn't remember specifics she can search the topic in her phone.
Finally, it is about giving and being non-selfish, or selfish with a goal of wanting to extract information, share, and connect. Instead of approaching interactions with a personal, self conscious goal in mind, it is about connecting people and ideas. Finding joy is supporting people. Being aware of where connections exist. Awareness is key, but that's a lot of what GC and seduction are about... reading the subject and reacting.
It gets easier once one gets into the flow of information. There is a compounding effect as the network grows. HH is right about the energy one generates. But one has to jump in.
In fact I would argue you already are a real life LinkedIn, except your network is smaller and more self serving. Not a bad thing just how most people operate.