Alfred T. Bra Uer: Teacher, Mathematician, and Developer of Libraries
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ALFRED T. BRA UER: TEACHER, MATHEMATICIAN, AND DEVELOPER OF LIBRARIES RICHARD D. CARMICHAEL Made in Uniled SImes 0/ America Reprinted from The JOURNAL OF THE ELISHA MITCHELL SOCIETY Vol. 102, No.3, FalJ 1986 The Journal ofthe Elisha Mitchell SCientific Society. 102(3), 1986, pp. 88-106 ALFRED T. BRAUER: TEACHER, MATHEMATICIAN, AND DEVELOPER OF LIBRARIES RICHARD D. CARMICHAEL Department ofMathematics and Computer Science, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109 Abstract: Alfred Theodor Brauer (1894-1985), a native of Germany who came to the United States in 1939 and became an American citizen in 1944, was a member of the Department of Mathematics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for twenty-four years and, after his retirement there, served the Department of Mathematics at Wake Forest University for ten years. Brauer's contributions to mathematics are many including teaching; research and publi cation in two fields, number theory and matrix theory; and library development. This biographical survey includes a complete list ofhis Ph.D. and Master's degree students and a complete list of his publications. Key Words: Alfred T. Brauer; biography; mathematician. INTRODUCTION Alfred Theodor Brauer (Fig. I) was born 9 April 1894 in Berlin. Twenty years later in 1914 he began to study engineering, the subject his father had encouraged. After only three months, however, World War I interrupted his studies. He served in the German army four years and was decorated twice, once for being wounded and again with Das Eiserne Kreuz (The Iron Cross) for outstanding service. During the short time he studied engineering, Brauer decided that mathematics was the discipline he really enjoyed. Following the war and after taking some time to recover from the experience, he entered the University of Berlin in 1920 as a mathematics student. Eight years later he obtained the degree of Doctor Philo sophiae (Dr. Phil.) under Issai Schur. Brauer's mathematical research and publications span more than fifty-two years with his first paper appearing in 1925 and his last in 1977. His brother, Richard Brauer, was co-author of the first publication, and his son-in-law, Richard H. Hudson, was co-author ofthe final one. Brauer served five educational institutions in his roles of teacher, research mathematician, and developer of mathematical libraries. Brauer's publications number 113. He directed 21 Ph.D. dissertations and advised 38 Master's degree students at the University ofNorth Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), and he advised 13 Master's degree students at Wake Forest University (WFU). He touched thousands of students with his ability as a teacher. He de veloped or helped to develop four mathematical research libraries, those of the University of Berlin, the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, UNC, and WFU; and he served as a consultant to others. To fully appreciate the career of Alfred T. Brauer is to acknowledge his contributions as a teacher; as a research mathematician in two fields, number theory and matrix theory; and as a developer of mathematical libraries. 88 CARMICHAEL: ALFRED T. BRAUER, MATHEMATICIAN 89 FIG. I. Alfred Theodor Brauer. In 1984 the article "Alfred T. Brauer as a Mathematician and Teacher" by Richard H. Hudson, Brauer's son-in-law, and Thomas L. Markham, a former student of Brauer at UNC, appeared in the mathematics journal Linear Algebra and Its Applications. Hudson's and Markham's article (1984) and this biographical survey are complementary. CAREER IN EDUCAnON After attaining the degree Doctor Philosophiae in 1928 for his work "Uber diophantische Gleichungen mit endlich vielen L6sungen," which is the reference [B-ll] in the list of publications given later, Brauer served at the University of Berlin as an assistant to Issai Schur until 1932. During this time he and his colleague, Hans Rohrbach, initiated the MAPHA (Matematische Physikalische Arbeitsgemeinschaft), a student organization to provide academic support for its members and to promote sociability among them. In 1932 Brauer was named "Privat Dozent" at the University of Berlin after giving a special lecture required for this appointment and for the "venia legendi," the "permission to give lectures" or "right to read" at a German university; he remained in this position until early 1936. For several years prior to 1936, the Jews were enduring increasing pressures imposed by the Nazi government. As Hitler's power grew, all Jewish professors who were not war veterans lost their university positions. Included among them was Richard Brauer, Alfred's younger brother by seven years, who came to the United States in 1933. At first, Jewish war veterans were permitted to keep their positions at the University of Berlin, but the policy soon changed. Brauer was forced to leave in early 1936. Brauer's second cousin operated a private school in Berlin; from 1936 to 1939 Brauer taught mathematics there at the junior high school level. He continued to do mathematical research, and he continued to live in the city. He married the CARMICHAEL: ALFRED T. BRAUER, MATHEMATICIAN 91 Wake Forest. During his final two years of teaching at UNC, Brauer held a half time position; and, according to a technicality in the UNC system, he could not be paid more than half salary from the Air Force grant. Thus, Brauer would have to give up the grant if it were continued to be administered at UNe. Knowing of this situation, W. M . Whyburn, Brauer's colleague at UNC, suggested to Gentry that Brauer be hired at WFU in the summer of 1965 and that WFU assume the administration ofthe grant. At the same time at WFU, more money was becoming available for the purchase oflibrary materials, and Gentry knew ofBrauer's ability in establishing mathematical libraries. Wake Forest offered Brauer the Visiting Professorship in the summer of 1965, and the Air Force grant was transferred to WFU. Gentry's motivation was for Brauer to build the mathematics library at Wake Forest. In addition to his library work, Brauer taught two mathematics courses and began a research collaboration with Gentry. Gentry maintains that bringing Brauer to Wake Forest to build the mathematics library was his single most important act during the twenty-five years that he was chairman. Gentry believes that a good mathematics library is the foundation for developing faculty and programs. In 1965 the Brauers thought that they would be traveling from Chapel Hill to Winston-Salem for one academic year; yet they did so for ten years, much to Wake Forest's benefit. RESEARCH AND LIBRARY WORK Alfred Brauer attained world-wide recognition in two areas of mathematical research, number theory and matrix theory. He began working in number theory when he was a graduate student and continued throughout his career, with all of his research efforts going into this area until 1946 when he began also to work in matrix theory. While E. T. Browne, Brauer's colleague at UNC, was abroad in 1945-1946 teaching at the American Army University at Shrivenham, England, Brauer had to substitute for him, teaching the matrix theory course as noted in [B-84]. Having never taught the course before nor having published a paper on the subject, Brauer wanted to read some of the more recent research publications in the field, and he chose to study some of Browne's papers. The results in one of Browne's papers (1930) particularly caught Brauer's attention, and using a method from a paper by Hans Rohrbach (1931), his friend and colleague in Berlin, Brauer improved some ofBrowne's results. This work was the beginning ofBrauer's research in matrix theory, and he continued working in this area, as well as in number theory, for the remainder of his research career. Brauer always acknowl edged the influence of Browne's work upon his own [B-84]. From 1946 until 1965 Brauer published papers in matrix theory, both singly authored and jointly with his students. When Brauer came to WFU in 1965, he began to collaborate with Ivey e. Gentry, who was teaching a course in algebra and matrix theory. Brauer asked Gentry whether he would be interested in meeting regularly to discuss matrices. They agreed to meet each Wednesday night from about 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Together they published seven papers. (During the ten years that Brauer was on the faculty at Wake Forest, he and Mrs. Brauer would drive to Winston-Salem from Chapel Hill on Wednesday of each week. Brauer taught one course in the afternoon, met with Gentry in the evening, taught another course on Thursday morning, and then worked on orders for the library. The Brauers would return to Chapel Hill on Thursday afternoons.) CARMICHAEL: ALFRED T. BRAUER, MATHEMATICIAN 93 FIG. 2. Mrs. Brauer (center) introduces Librarian Betty A. Davis (left) to Dr. and Mrs. Ivey C. Gentry (right) during the reception for the dedication of The Alfred T. Brauer Library for mathematics, physics, and computer science at UNC on I December 1976. Alfred T . Brauer is on the extreme left. Brauer received many honors and awards for teaching, mathematical research, and service to the profession. A chronological list appears below. 1949 Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies Science Research Award for "Sig nificant Contributions to Science in the South." 1959 Kenan Professor at UNC. 1965 Tanner Excellence in Teaching Award at UNC. 1971 G. W. F. Hegel Medal from Humboldt University (formerly the University of Berlin) for devotion and service to the University. 1972 Honorary degree, Doctor of Laws (LL.D.), from UNC. 1975 Wake Forest University established The Alfred T. Brauer Instructorship in mathematics. (Dr. Ellen E. Kirkman, presently Associate Professor ofMath ematics at Wake Forest, was the first Brauer Instructor.) 1976 UNC named its mathematics and physics library "The Alfred T.