RESOLUTIONS
TEXAS SECTION, MATHEMATICAL ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
APRIL 11, 2015
Oyez, Oyez, Oyez, Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Hear Ye,
Whereas the National organization of the Mathematical Association of America has grown and prospered over the preceding century and whereas the Texas Section of that same august body has annually met in congress and celebrated the life mathematical for years four score and fifteen,
And whereas this most modest and meritorious assemblage has been hosted with dignity, graciousness and honor by the collective efforts of the respected colleges and universities that domicile in San Antonio Texas, home of the Alamo, birthplace of Texas freedom, specifically and to wit Eddy Kwessi, Justin Michaelson , Lois Garza, Peter Olofsson and all the faculty and staff at Trinity University, Theresa Martines and the faculty and staff at University of the Incarnate Word and Mike (La-coke-ah) Lecocke, Ian Martines and the faculty and staff at St. Mary's University with additional support and aid from Our Lady of the Lake University, Texas A&M San Antonio and the Alamo Colleges;
And whereas these aforementioned distinguished institutions did attend to every need, real and imaginary, of 145 faculty, 24 graduate students, 175 undergraduates and two guest these numbers including long time and special friends Dr.s Don and Carol Hazlewood,
And whereas one hundred fifty nine of said luminaries were provided sumptuous repast at a memorable MAA 100th year Birthday Banquet;
And whereas the extensive benevolence and boundless attention to details of Theresa Martines has efficiently partitioned programs, conveniently placed meetings, provided abundantly nest of repose for the repose of weary professors; and by the application of commendable diligence never failed to notice and see to the little things which increased the enjoyment of all;
And whereas the officers of the Section: Chair Ted Mahaver, Chair-Elect Therese Shelton, Secretary/Treasurer David Hendricks, Governor James Epperson, Immediate Past Chair Roy Joe Harris, Arrangements Chair-Elect Jane Long, Webmaster Brian Beavers, and Directors Mike Panahi, Meri Hughes, and Susan Staples have given from the affluence of their intellects, the pleasures of their society, the security of their judgment, and the light of their insight;
And whereas the section recognized the outstanding teaching of Rebecca Garcia by naming her the recipient of the Distinguished College and University Teaching of Mathematics Award for 2015;
And whereas this section did recognize Therese Shelton for her long standing and outstanding service to students by awarding her the 2015 Ron Barnes Service to Students Award,
And whereas Carl Seaquest was duly and justly honored for Distinguished service to the Texas Section as friend, respected colleague, and meticulous merchant of manuscripts mathematical;
And whereas Theresa Martines and Nick Long did repeatedly meet with and model professorial demeanor to be emulated by the Texas NExT Fellows, these male and female fellows being the hope and promise of continued excellence in the teaching and performance of mathematics in this great state of Texas;
And whereas our friend Mike Panahi has provided instruction, diversion, and exemplary example for the 175 students, both male and female, short and tall;
And whereas Professor Brian Beavers did present a worthy Short Course and take us on a wonderful journey “Mining Math History for Fun and Profit,” a journey accessible to all and enriching to those who partook;
And whereas our keynote speaker, Sommer Gentry (U.S. Naval Academy) exhibited her passion for Operations Research by leading us through optimized examples of substitute body parts, subject of course to linear constraints;
And whereas Susan Staples, our colleague of long standing and the 2014 winner of the Distinguished College and University Teaching of Mathematics Award did delight us with tales of Series Shenanigans, tales both true and false;
And whereas Colin Adams and Thomas Garrity, did delight and enlighten our assembled students on a favorite question inspired by They might be Giants, said question: “if the Derivative man and the Integral man got into a fight, who do you think would win”;
And whereas the Colin and Thomas duo did individually address us, Colin with a tale from the crept giving practical advice on how to use the calculus to survive eminent destruction at the hands of zombies craving brains raised upon fields and rings and groups of abstractions, and Thomas providing intellectual stimulation with conjectures about real numbers hiding in plain sight disguised as a sequence of integers or maybe it was a series of integers, help me out Dr. Rand, I always get these two confused they are both two syllable “s” words;
But I digress, whereas all of these distinguished speakers have with discernment and acute penetration rendered complex ideas and their attendant subtleties accessible and interesting to each and every attendee;
And whereas this event, in all its diversity and venues, has been recorded for posterity with photographs by Angie “flash” Brown,” who did risk life and limb climbing upon that which is normally sat upon, to record for posterity one hundred and fifty nine well feed mathematicians bracing a birthday cake of undetermined but most certainly finite volume;
And whereas the membership, student and faculty, did rise to the challenge and example set by the afore mentioned distinguished speakers and present from their own store of wisdom, knowledge and labor ninety four interesting and scholarly papers with the student contributions numbering thirty nine, graduates sixteen and silverbacks twenty nine;
Be it resolved and recorded for history that the section has not failed to fully acknowledge the efforts and successes of these and others who have most diligently labored to bring forth these happy proceedings, and that these many mathematicians have honorably and profitably invested their time this eleventh day of April, 2015.
Resolutions Committee
John T. Sieben, Chairman