Harrelson News–2000
The Emeritus Faculty
I wrote to as many of the Emeritus faculty as I could find and asked them what they have been up to.–Editor
From J. M. Anthony Danby:
Last Fall we celebrated escape from the tyranny of the academic schedule by spending a couple of months in Australia and New Zealand, and enjoying their spring.
On a more tedious level, I prepared a second edition to my text on Computer Modeling, including sections on using Mathematics Matlab of Maple, and adding the the software. (my advice to those thinking of using Maple: Don’t.) I have started on a text on dynamical astronomy; whether I shall ever finish it is another matter.
Socially, I am staying active with the students in the N. C. State Chapter of Phi Delta Theta. This spring will mark the first distribution of scholarship support for some of the Brothers, coming from a fund that carries my name.
From Leroy Martin:
Although I retired several years ago, I have had the privilege of teaching one lecture section of freshman calculus every semester and continue involvement with the First Year College, participating in their Faculty Fellows Program.
My spare time is fully occupied with aerobics classes at the Rex Wellness Center, fitness classes sponsored by the Continuing and Professional Education, eighteen holes of golf twice a week and an occasional tennis game. I am still an active Kiwanian, attend church regularly, belong to several social clubs, and am greatly enjoying my ninth year singing with the Raleigh Oratorio Society. Charlotte and I have enjoyed some foreign travel and a part of every summer in Northfield, Massachusetts.
Since our three sons live in distant cities, I regret that the time we can spend with our two grandsons has been limited, but I am greatly blessed with excellent health and a wonderful life.
From Charles Lewis:
I broke my hip in May, 1994 and have been a resident here at Mayview Convalescent ever since. I get along fine in a wheel chair. I get out now and then to visit Pullen Church and the YMCA.
I appreciate all the help I’ve gotten from Marilyn McCollum, Bob Savage, and you all, and appreciate your cards, phone calls and visits.
from Charles Little:
I usually go by the Math Dept. during my thanksgiving visit to Raleigh but last year we were off schedule Wednesday, having spent the night at Jean Petrea’s. I talked with Charlie Lewis, Herb Speece and Charles Davis, a Ph. D. from NCSU who taught at Meredith. In 1998 when I visited the Math Dept during my thanksgiving visit I was pleasantly surprised to see a dozen of the old–timers around.
I am living directly across the road from where I spent the first 16 years of my life. Later on, my Dad bought the property on which I now live. He and my mother built a retirement home on this 27 acres. The home is called Sharon Towers and houses about 350 people. In the late sixties, my mother sold the acreage to the Presbyterian Presbytery. We have a small nature trail through about 10 acres of woods and dwell in remembrance of old days every time I walk the trail.
After 71 years of playing golf, Macular Degeneration has forced me to give up the game. I still have fairly good peripheral vision and I play several rounds of pool each day. I “read“ about four books a week from the Library for the Blind. I have about 10 State graduates in my church and we keep our fingers crossed each week of the football and basketball season.
Anyone who is in the Charlotte area is invited to call me at (701) 554-8948, or better yet stop in to say hello.
From Hubert Park:
I am still living at my home on Darien Drive. For several years after retirement, I served on the Church Relations Committee of Lenoir-Rhyne College, the North Carolina Lutheran Church Campus Ministry Committee, and the Campus Ministry Committee of my local church. After Mary Alice's illness, I had to resign some of this committee work in order to be with her. My health is still very good; however, my legs do not permit me to be as active as previously. Since my daughter, Alice, lives next door, and my son, Vern, lives in Raleigh, the family and I feel that for the present, my living at home is preferable to going to a retirement home. I still have a small garden in the spring and summer.
It is with pleasure that I am able to enjoy my family of four children, eleven grand and step-grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. I also visit my son, Dick, in Lynchburg, Virginia; my daughter, Betty, in Tampa, Florida; and some of my family in Salisbury, N.C., several times each year.
About Carlotta Patton:
Carlotta’s daughter called and told me her mother, now an nonagenarian is doing quite well. She is living in Chapel Hill in the house she was lived in as a child. She wants the math department to know that she still loves mathematics, the mathematics department and NCSU. Carlotta invites anyone who is around Chapel Hill to stop in for a visit. [Carlotta was the one who first suggested that the department put out a newsletter–Editor]
About Hans Sagan:
Hans Sagan retired on December 31, 1993, he published in the even-numbered years and lectured in the odd-numbered years. This was not by design but it just happened to work out that way.
In 1994 he published his ninth book, entitled SPACE-FILLING CURVES, with Springer-Verlag New York, and an article on the parametrization of the von Koch curve. He was also appointed to the Scientific Advisory Board of the MONATSHEFTE FÜR MATHEMATIK, on which he still serves.In 1995 he taught a course on space-filling curves as a visiting professor at the University of Vienna and conducted a seminar on Normal Numbers and the Law of the Iterated Logarithm. This seminar is still going although the topics have shifted; he makes a point to visit the seminar at least once a year.
In 1996 he, together with K. Prachar, published an article on the differentiability properties of Polya’s space-filling curve. A referee described the proof contained therein as “awesome”. He also published an analytic proof of the nowhere differentiability of the coordinate functions of von Koch’s curve.
In 1997 he presented an invited colloquium lecture and held a short course on space-filling curves at Kansas State University. He also lectured again in Hlwawka’s privatissimum.
In 1998, Springer-Verlag Tokyo published his book on space-filling curves in Japanese. Upon invitation by the editorial Board of the MATHEMATICA JAPONICA, he published an article entitled “Skating along the edge of reason” . He also published on article about the nowhere differentiability of the coordinate functions of the Iseki curve.
In the spring of 1999 he attended an international symposium in Austria where he also presented a lecture and the the fall of that year he gave an invited address at the biannual Austrian Mathematics Congress in Graz.
He is presently preparing the second edition of his book on space-filling curves and working on the commentary on Karl Menger’s involvement with the Calculus of Variations for Mengers’ collected works, which will be published by Springer-Verlag Wien New York in conjunction with Austria’s National Academy of Science.
Dr. Sagan regularly attends the winter meetings of the national mathematics societies.
From Robert Savage:
Form James B. Wilson:I plan to continue teaching next year and I plan to enjoy our children and grandchildren, spend time at our place at Lake Waccamaw, and do volunteer work.
My official retirement, in June 1987, was followed by eight tears of parttime teaching in the fall semesters. In the first few of those years I chose to teach MA 103, with the hope that I might help some liberal arts freshmen to get over their fear and distaste of math and discover that it can be both interesting and useful. Success was not all I had hoped for, but some were “converted”, and it was a worthwhile experience for me. I tuned then to sections of calculus until my final fall semester in 1994.
No longer in a position to say “I’m too busty to do other things”, I have become occupied with home, church, and family activities. Examples: Filling woodworking requests for bookcases, tables, desks, cabinets, etc., from church and family members ( a favorite workshop hobby); teaching Sunday School classes and filling lay positions in the church; and, not least in importance, travel time to see children and grandchildren and some of the “outside world”, notably Alaska and the Holyland.
From Herb Speece:
We are living at Springmoor, a lifetime care retirement community in North Raleigh. Even though there is no lawn to mow and only a modicum of flowers to attend, there is so much to do that I wonder how I had time to work. We do some volunteer work here at Springmoor.
We go to many of the NCSU sporting events, particular basketball, football and baseball. We went to see the stage play “Titanic” at the Raleigh Community Auditorium. Last Christmas our daughter and son–in–law took us to enjoy the sights and sounds of a colonial Christmas at Williamsburg, Virginia.
Some old–timers might remember Norm Swenson who was in the Math Dept form 1947-1950, and later was president of an insurance company in Charlotte. He called to say his wife had won four tickets to a professional basketball game and invited us to come join them. We were hoping that Charlie Little and his wife could join us, but they had another engagement.
We see and talk with Bob Bullock who also lives at Springmoor. He is doing quite well except for his eyesight. We also visited Charley Lewis and George Watson at the Mayview Nursing Home over the holidays.