History of the Department of Mathematics of the University of Kansas, 1886-1970

Abstract

Francis Huntington Snow, in 1866, was the first member of the faculty to teach mathematics in The University of Kansas. From this auspicious beginning, mathematics developed into one of the major departments in the University; its staff has contributed many of the most distinguished and best loved members of the faculty. It is thus altogether fitting that someone should write a history of the Department of Mathematics and its staff. Furthermore, almost no information about the Department is available at the present time. Although Sterling's Quarter-Centennial History of The University of Kansas, 1866-1891, Robert Taft's Across the.Years on Mount Dread and The Years on Mount Dread, and Ryder's Snow of Kansas contain partial histories of the University, they yield almost no information about the Department of Mathematics or its mathematicians. Griffin's The University of Kansas: A History, published in 1974, is the University's official history; it contains more information about mathematics but not a complete history of the Department.

The pioneers in the early years struggled against overwhelming obstacles and built a distinguished university. This History of the Department of Mathematics of the University of Kansas presents an account of their struggles and of their successes and failures, especially in the field of mathematics. I have written it as a tribute to the determination, the courage, the perseverance, and the memory of those who preceded us, and I hope that it will be also an inspiration and a challenge to those who follow.