R. Creighton Buck

R. Creighton Buck was born on August 30, 1920 in Cincinnati, Ohio and attended the University of Cincinnati. He received a PhD in mathematics from Harvard University in 1947. After three years as an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Brown University, Creighton joined the Department of Mathematics of the University of Wisconsin as an Associate Professor in 1950, achieving the rank of Professor in 1954. The university awarded him a Hilldale Professorship in 1980. He served as Chair of the Department of Mathematics from 1964 to 1966.

Creighton made seminal research contributions (over 70 published papers) in four areas: approximation theory, complex analysis, operations research, and topological algebra. He also made significant contributions during his six year association with the Institute for Defense Analysis and also during a long affiliation with the Mathematics Research Center. At Wisconsin, Creighton had 14 PhD students, one of whom wrote a thesis on the history of mathematics, also one of his interests. In 1981, he received the L.R. Ford Award for his paper Sherlock Holmes in Babylon, an historical analysis of the sexagesimal system of ancient Babylon.

Professor Buck was passionately interested in the teaching of mathematics. His book Advanced Calculus, first published in 1956, enjoyed immense popularity. His interest in the teaching of mathematics quickly broadened to the national and international level. He served as Chair of the Committee on the Undergraduate Program in Mathematics (CUPM) for the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) during the period 1959-63. He initiated the program and set directions for more than 10 years of fruitful work. Creighton served as Vice President of both the MAA and the American Mathematical Society. Creighton was Chair of the university’s committee that revised the grading system to include the grades of AB and BC. He was also Chair of the Van Vleck Building Committee.

Outside of mathematics, Creighton had many talents as well. He was an accomplished pianist and at the age of 18 won a prize in composition for piano. He also published several science fiction stories.

Creighton retired from the university in 1990 but remained active in mathematics and mathematics education. He died in Wisconsin on February 1, 1998.