Stanley Burris, Pure Math Department, University of Waterloo
"Early Days in the Faculty of Mathematics"
In
January,
1967,
the
oversized
Department
of
Mathematics
in
the
Faculty
of
Arts
started
a
new
life,
as
the
Faculty
of
Mathematics,
complete
with
its
now
famous
five
departments
of
mathematics.
The
1960s
was
an
exceptionally
glorious
time
for
academic
institutions---there
was
nothing
like
it
before,
and
nothing
like
it
since.
A
basic
overview
of
the
period
as
it
developed
in
Ontario,
was
published
in
a
1974
article
in
the
Gazette
(at
that
time
our
official
university
newspaper)
with
the
title
`Rags
to
riches
to
reason':
changes
in
Ontario
education.
This
talk
is
about
Stan's
personal
memories
of
what
it
was
like
to
be
a
new
faculty
member
at
the
time,
in
the
Department
of
Pure
Mathematics.
There
will
be
some
pictures
of
now
senior
department
members,
when
they
were
barely
distinguishable
from
the
students,
some
stories
about
the
non-stop
series
of
great
visitors
(and
the
non-stop
accompanying
dinners
and
parties),
the
episodes
of
massive
hiring,
and
some
of
the
colourful
characters
that
he
(thinks
he)
remembers
so
well.
Stan Burris is a Pure Math retiree, whose recollections have been considerably improved by consultations with fellow retirees and former department members.