Donor Stories

Giving to the AMS is giving to mathematics. Since 1888, the AMS has worked to advance research, publish to the highest standards, and support mathematicians throughout their careers. Your gift enhances the lives of mathematics students and professionals, recognizing excellence, creating opportunities, and building for the mathematics of tomorrow.

Read about some of our donors

 

Dr. Jeanne LaDuke: Pioneering Author

Image of Jeanne LaDukeFiske Society member Dr. Jeanne LaDuke talked with us about the challenges of becoming a mathematician and a faculty member at DePaul University for 30 years at a time when women were (and continue to be) underrepresented in the mathematics field. As co-author of “Pioneering Women in American Mathematics,” Dr. LaDuke tells us why she decided to include the AMS in her estate plan. “It has been so supportive of my scholarly interests and provided a warm community in which to participate. I am especially pleased that they published our book and continue to support the supplementary material for the book.” Read our conversation with Dr. Jeanne LaDuke and her experience publishing with the AMS.

View the full article

Return to top ↑
 

In Honor of a Brilliant Scholar

Image of Sigurdur HelgasonWhen the esteemed Dr. Sigurdur “Siggi” Helgason (1927 – 2023) passed away last year at the age of 96, his family wanted to honor his career and memorialize his legacy by establishing a new named endowed fund to support the publication of books and journals at the AMS. A professor of mathematics at MIT for more than 60 years and a 2013 AMS fellow, Dr. Helgason also won the Leroy P. Steele Prize for his influential books Differential Geometry and Symmetric Spaces (Academic Press, 1962), Differential Geometry, Lie Groups, and Symmetric Spaces (Academic Press, 1978); and Groups and Geometric Analysis (Academic Press, 1984). As the author of seven books and numerous articles, Dr. Helgason valued the AMS’ publishing program for its focus on quality materials and its fair treatment of authors. The Sigurður Helgason Fund for Publication Support will help underwrite production and pricing of AMS publications and allow many works and archives available free of charge to the mathematical community.

Read more about the Fund his family established.

Return to top ↑
 

Rosalind Guaraldo: A Gift to Support the Centennial Fellowship

 

Image of Centennial Fellow Francesc Castella
Francesc Castella, an associate professor of mathematics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, is the AMS Centennial Research Fellow for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Credit: Francesc Castella
Rosalind “Roz” J. Guaraldo, PhD, was a member of the American Mathematical Society for 48 years. A native New Yorker, Dr. Guaraldo’s first love was music. It was in college, however, that Guaraldo became hooked on mathematics after taking her first calculus class. As a professor at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, she nurtured an appreciation for mathematics in her students for more than 30 years, and her support for the community continues, even after her death in December 2019. As part of her legacy, Dr. Guaraldo left a gift in her will to the AMS Centennial Fellowship Fund, which makes awards annually to outstanding mathematicians to help further their careers in research. The US$50,000 fellowship can be used towards course release, research-related travel, and research-related expenses, and has supported more than 110 awardees since 1974.

 

Learn more about the Centennial Fellowship.

Return to top ↑
 

Lee and Bill Ballard: Supporting the Causes They Cared About

Image of Lee and Bill BallardAs a professor of mathematics at the University of Montana, Dr. William “Bill” Ralph Ballard (1926-2014) dedicated his career to improving the quality of mathematics instruction and the curriculum. He wanted to ensure that all students received a rigorous foundation in math as part of a general liberal education. Dr. Ballard died in 2014, and ten years later, his wife, Lee Atwater Morgan Ballard (1924-2023), designated an unrestricted gift in memory of her husband to the AMS upon her passing. In their far-reaching commitment to high quality education as well as local libraries, conservation, and social services, the Ballards supported the causes they cared about throughout their lives.

Return to top ↑
 

John J. Fitzpatrick: Math Enthusiast

Image of donor Jay FitzpatrickJohn J. Fitzpatrick (1961-2022) of Lancaster, PA, a lifelong enthusiast of math, language, religion and chess, left a generous gift to the AMS Publication Support Fund after he passed away last year. Fitzpatrick graduated from J.P. McCaskey High School and Duke University with a bachelor's degree. After college, he moved to New York City and worked at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Barnes & Noble until his return to Lancaster. He was an avid reader of mathematics texts as well as countless other fields of study, and we thank him for his support of the AMS publishing program.

 

Learn more about the AMS Publication Support Fund

Return to top ↑
 

William "Bill" Hassinger: Transformational Philanthropist

Image of donor Bill HassingerWilliam “Bill” E. Hassinger (1929 – 2022) of Greensboro, North Carolina, was a successful executive and a quiet yet transformational philanthropist for higher education and the math community. A member of the AMS for 46 years, Hassinger had made annual gifts to the AMS, and his extraordinary bequest to the AMS as part of his estate plan will be a lasting legacy for many years to come.

We are deeply grateful to Bill for his support of mathematics and for remembering the AMS with a gift in his will.

Learn more about the Fiske Society and charitable estate planning.

Return to top ↑
 

Susan Schwartz Wildstrom: Making Mathematics Welcoming to All

Image of donor Susan Schwartz WildstromSusan Schwartz Wildstrom, a longtime AMS supporter and member of the Fiske Society, inspired generations of students to discover mathematics during her 50-year career as a high school math teacher. Susan talked with us about her rocky start with calculus, her memories of teaching, and why she is making a gift in her will to the AMS.

View the full article

Return to top ↑
 

David Sward: Supporting the Pursuit of Mathematics Education and Research

Image of donor David Sward holding his dogRetired software engineer David Sward has been a member of the AMS since 2017. He became a member of the Fiske Society soon after when he let us know he had made a gift to the AMS in his charitable estate plan.

David has had a varied career, working as an Aviation Electronics Technician, an accounting technician at the I.R.S. and a software engineer at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and earned an MA in economics along the way. David spoke to us about the importance of mathematics and its relationship to physics and other sciences, and what he values about the AMS.

View the full article

Return to top ↑
 

Carole B. Lacampagne (1933-2021): Advocate for Gender Equality in Mathematics

 

Image of donor Carole B. Lacampagne
Carole Lacampagne advocated for gender equality and worked to improve mathematics education-as well as having an Erdós number of 1.
Credit: Suzanne Lacampagne
A member of the AMS for 39 years and an inaugural 2013 AMS Fellow, Carole Lacampagne was known for her work in mathematics education and for championing gender equality in mathematics. She also had the distinction of being a collaborator with Paul Erdós on three papers in Number Theory.

 

Lacampagne served on the AMS Committee on Education, and was also active with the Mathematical Association of America. She received her Ed.D. from Teachers College, Columbia University in 1964, served as Director of the National Institute on Postsecondary Education, Libraries and Lifelong Learning, and then as Director of the Mathematical Sciences Education Board at the National Academies of Science. Before retiring, she taught as an adjunct at George Washington University.

We are deeply grateful to Carole for her support of mathematics and for remembering the AMS with a gift in her will.

Learn more about the Fiske Society and charitable estate planning.

Return to top ↑
 

New McKee Fund to Support Undergraduate Research

Three woman presenting a poster sessionIn 2021, mathematician Terry McKee and his wife, Shirley, established a Named Endowed Fund at the AMS, the Terry A. McKee Fund for Undergraduate Research in Mathematics at the AMS. Terry and Shirley spoke with us about their gift and how it will support future generations of mathematics undergraduates.

Our goal is to support undergraduates gain research experience through mentorships, stipends, and more. Mathematics itself may take on a new face, and collaborations between institutions, businesses, and professional organizations may play a significant role in the future. We believe the AMS has the experience and resources necessary to be a facilitator and leader in this field.

View the full article

Return to top ↑
 

Walt Augenstein Gives to the Future of Mathematics

Walt Augenstein leaning on wallWalter O. Augenstein, Jr. (1951-2020) An AMS member for 25 years, Walt made a generous unrestricted bequest to the AMS. He received his BA in mathematics from Case Western Reserve University and worked in systems development and software design. Driven by a passion for math and computer science, he worked to increase his knowledge by taking MOOC courses (Massive Online Open Courses) and reading. He also actively volunteered for a local mental health support organization in his home city of Columbus, OH.

Walt told us, I am profoundly glad to be able to contribute to the progress of mathematics and the AMS throughout the world. A gift to the AMS and to the future of mathematics is an expression of my values. We are deeply grateful for Walt's dedication to mathematics.

Photo credit: Augenstein Family

Return to top ↑
 

Ralph and Hilda Mansfield: Charter Members of the Fiske Society

Ralph and Hilda Mansfield sitting on wooden fence railRalph Mansfield (1912-2007) and Hilda Mansfield (1920-2020)

Ralph Mansfield, an AMS member for sixty-nine years and a charter member of the Fiske Society, earned his master's degree at the University of Chicago and his PhD in Mathematics at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He taught in the City Colleges of Chicago system, chaired the Mathematics Department at Harold Washington College, and also worked as an electrical engineer. Ralph had many interests, including politics, astronomy, jewelry-making and design; he was also an avid tennis player, umpiring top level tennis tournaments. His wife, Hilda, was a teacher, pianist, gardener, and supporter of human rights. We thank Ralph and Hilda for their support of research and the mathematical community through their generous unrestricted bequest.

Photo credit: Diane Judge.

Return to top ↑
 

Fiske Society Members Ralph Cohen and Susan Million Share their Support for Mathematics

Ralph Cohen and Susan Million huggingMathematics runs in the family and has always been very important in our lives. That's why we decided to support the AMS financially because it is the AMS' primary mission to support mathematics and mathematicians.

Ralph Cohen and his wife Susan Million have made a generous bequest to the AMS in their will. Ralph is the Barbara Kimball Browning Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Stanford University, and a member of the AMS Board of Trustees. Susan is a Research Associate at Stanford's Graduate School of Education and a former Principal and Math teacher at Half Moon Bay High School in California. We asked Ralph and Susan to tell us about their backgrounds, both mathematical and otherwise, and why they chose to make this gift to the AMS.

Watch Ralph and Susan's complete conversation (14.34).

Return to top ↑
 

Peter Duren: Helping the AMS Support Mathematics Research into the Future

Portrait picture of Peter DurenPeter L. Duren (1935-2020) worked in complex analysis and the history of mathematics. He received his PhD in 1960 from MIT under the direction of Gian-Carlo Rota and taught at the University of Michigan from 1962 until 2010. An AMS member since 1959, Duren was an AMS Fellow, volunteer and author, a prolific writer, and served as an editor for The American Mathematical Monthly and the Michigan Mathematical Journal. His obituary from University of Michigan Department of Mathematics notes that Teaching and mentoring motivated students was his special joy. He often said that he felt truly fortunate for having figured out a way to make a living doing what he loved. The AMS is grateful for Peter's unrestricted bequest, which he made, in his words, to help the AMS support mathematics research into the future.

Return to top ↑
 

Legacy Gift from Mathematical Couple Joanna and Steven Schot

Portrait picture of Joanna and Steven SchotMathematical couple, Joanna Wood Schot (1927-2019) and Steven H. Schot (1930-2018), generously remembered the AMS in their Trust with an unrestricted bequest. In the 1960s, Joanna Wood Schot was a nuclear physicist who worked to develop computer programs essential in the development of propulsion engines and power reactors for the Navy. She also served as Executive Director of the Association of Women in Mathematics in the 1990s. Her husband, Steven H. Schot, worked in differential equations and fluid mechanics and was a Professor Emeritus at American University, Washington, D.C.. We thank Joanna and Steven for their support of research and the mathematical community through their generous unrestricted bequest.

Return to top ↑