University of Wisconsin Mathematics PhDs

Brief Biography

R.H. Bing was a geometric topologist. His specialty was 3-dimensional manifolds and his work yielded many useful tools having higher dimensional applications as well as great pictures for interesting lectures. He was a mathematical people person: the 1963-64 president of the MAA, the 1977-78 president of the AMS, a member of the National Academy of Science, etc. Bing taught at Wisconsin from 1947-73 and was department chair from 1958-60. He was a facinating teacher and his classes and seminars were large, lively, stimulating, challenging experiences, never mind the picnics and boat rides on the lakes that went with them. Bing, who had been a student of R.L. Moore in Texas and used his teaching techniques, used never lost his thick Texas accent. He returned to Texas for the last 12 years of his life, but he claimed that although the Texas climate was better, the Wisconsin graduate students were better.

--- Mary Ellen Rudin