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William F. Lucas Fund

William F. Lucas (1933-2010), a native of Detroit, completed a PhD at the University of Michigan in 1963. His long career was spent primarily at Cornell University (1970-84) and the Claremont Graduate School (now Claremont Graduate University, 1984 until retirement), with a variety of visiting and short-term positions, including two years at Princeton University (1963-65) working with the Office of Naval Research and Mathematica, Inc., before spending a year as a Fulbright Professor at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey. Prof. Lucas also held consulting or visiting positions at the Rand Corporation, the University of Wisconsin, Washington State University, and the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications at the University of Minnesota. Prof. Lucas wrote and spoke widely on topics in discrete mathematics, game theory, and operations research, including his own research as well as expository and educational materials that reflected his wish to develop interest and capacity in these fields.

Prof. Lucas served in a variety of editorial capacities on more than 15 journals, including a three-year term as Associate Editor of the American Mathematical Monthly (1974-77). He was instrumental in the early years of the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications (COMAP), where he served as Vice President and Clerk of the Board of Trustees (1981-1992). His long list of professional activities, to many organizations, demonstrated his commitment to advancing our profession.

As a long-time member of MAA, Prof. Lucas served on a variety of committees, including the Committee on the Undergraduate Program in Mathematics, which he chaired for two years (1976-78). He also served on the MAA Committee on Continuing Education from 1978-80, and over many years organized and led sessions at a variety of national and regional professional meetings, including minicourses at MAA meetings. To honor his long-standing interest in such programs, in 2005 friends, family, and colleagues joined together to establish the William F. Lucas Fund to provide ongoing support of MAA professional development programs. This fund now provides support for minicourses at MAA MathFest, and in particular allows MAA to offer reduced registration fees for students and high school teachers.

Year: 
2020