Dr. Clarence Stephens, Sr. was the ninth African American to have earned a Ph.D. in mathematics. He was chair of the SUNY Potsdam Mathematics department from 1969-1987. His legacy is known as the Morgan-Potsdam model of Mathematical-Education.
Biography
Dr. Clarence F. Stephens, Sr. was born in Gaffney, South Carolina, on July 24, 1917. Clarence discovered at an early age that he could read mathematics independently and greatly appreciated the intrinsic beauty of mathematics. He earned a BS in mathematics from Johnson Smith University, NC (1938) and went on to graduate studies at the University of Michigan, earning an MS (1939) and then a PhD (1943). He was a teaching specialist in the US Navy (1942-1946) and a college professor at Prairie View A&M (1946-1947), Morgan State College (1947-1962), SUNY Geneseo (1962-1969), and SUNY Potsdam (1969-1987).
During his early years of teaching, he recognized the need to inspire confidence in his students. As he said in 1997, “More than fifty years ago I came to the conclusion that every college student who desired to learn mathematics could do so. I spent my entire professional life believing that this was the case.” He was asked to join the SUNY Potsdam math department as chair particularly because of his attention to fostering student success. At Potsdam, Dr. Stephens built a successful mathematics major and created the unique BA/MA in mathematics program. His work with faculty and students helped SUNY Potsdam become nationally recognized as one of the most successful undergraduate math programs in the country.
Dr. Stephens received many honors during his career. In 1982 he was inducted into the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. In 2003 in recognition of his impact on the American education of mathematics students, the Mathematical Association of America presented him with their most prestigious award, the Gung and Hu Award for Distinguished Service to Mathematics (2003).
Dr. Stephens retired in 1987 and resided in Conesus, NY until his passing at 100 years old on March 5, 2018.
Upcoming Event Details
Join us in celebrating the legacy of Dr. Clarence Stephens, Sr.!
Date: Monday, March 4, 2024
Location: Barrington Student Union MPR
Time: 3:30 - 5 p.m.
Speakers
- Dr. Vasily C. Cateforis, Keynote Speaker
Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus
- Dr. Quincy Loney, BA 01’, MA 03’, Alumnus Speaker
Binghamton University
- Anah Bogdan 24’, Student Speaker
BA/MA Mathematics and Geology
Dr. Vasily C. Cateforis
Dr. Vasily C. Cateforis was born in Athens, Greece. After graduating from high school, he attended Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md., completing his bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics. He then continued to the University of Wisconsin, where he began his graduate studies in physics, before realizing that he much preferred mathematics. After earning his master's degree in mathematics, Cateforis accepted a teaching position at his alma mater, Morgan State, and married Mary-Ann Baugh in the same year. The next year, the couple returned to the University of Wisconsin along with their firstborn child David, where Vasily began his doctoral studies in mathematics. Vasily completed his work and defended his dissertation, "On the Maximal Quotient Ring and the Singular Submodule," a topic in algebra, in 1967; he received his Ph.D. in January 1968.
That summer, the family moved to Lexington, Ky., where Vasily had accepted a tenure-track position in the math department at the University of Kentucky, this time along with their second child, Theo, in tow as well. During those formative years, Cateforis came to the conclusion that his love was not of mathematics per se, but of teaching mathematics, especially to undergraduates. In the fall of 1973, he began his tenure as a member in the Department of Mathematics at SUNY Potsdam. During his 30-year career at SUNY Potsdam, he was able to devote himself to teaching, his real love. Cateforis received recognition for excellence in teaching by the Seaway Section of the Mathematical Association of America and was named a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor.
He also served as chair of the department for 16 years, before his retirement in 2003.
Dr. Quincy Loney
Dr. Loney, currently a Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Binghamton University (one of his alma maters), earned BA and MA degrees in Mathematics from SUNY Potsdam in 2001 and 2003 respectively. He was quite engaged as a member of the campus community; working in the Math Lab, participating in CSTEP, and promoting school spirit as a cheerleader, among other activities and clubs that he was involved in.
He earned a PhD, also in Mathematics, from Binghamton University in 2012. His dissertation research investigated representations of affine Kac-Moody Lie algebras, using techniques from vertex operator algebra theory and character theory. This type of mathematics has applications in string theory and theoretical physics.
After reflecting on his experiences in the classroom, both as a student and as an educator, Dr. Loney decided to dedicate his career to teaching mathematics rather than the research and creation of new theorems. He held a position for a number of years in the Learning Strategies Center at Cornell University, before returning to Binghamton in his current role.
In addition to teaching, Dr. Loney has made significant contributions to the academic community at large. From 2016 to 2020 he served on the AP Calculus Development Committee, the group of mathematicians that write the AB and BC Exams, taken annually by approximately half a million students worldwide. He also travels to Kansas City each summer to help with the enormous task of grading the exams. He currently serves as a reviewer for the SAT Exam, and is an AP Precalculus Visiting Fellow.
Dr. Loney is grateful for the time he spent at SUNY Potsdam under the tutelage of those who kept Dr. Stephens' vision alive. He hopes that his teaching is as engaging and inspirational to his students as his professors at Potsdam were to him.
Anah Bogdan '24
Anah Bogdan is a senior at the State University of New York at Potsdam. She is a BA/MA Mathematics major as well as a Geology major. Anah chose SUNY Potsdam to complete her undergraduate degree because of the accredited mathematics department and the proximity to her home. She has completed a research project with two Geology professors and one Mathematics professor to statistically test the relationship between relative sea level change and stable carbon isotopes. The Mathematics and Geology Departments have provided her with the foundation to pursue graduate school. She plans to obtain a Ph.D. in rock mechanics, with the end goal of working at a national laboratory or another government agency. The supportive faculty and staff at SUNY Potsdam, the numerous opportunities Anah has received throughout her undergraduate years, and the people she has met along the way, have helped her become who she is.