Preskenis Dinner: NES/MAA Dinner Meeting in Memory of Kenneth J. Preskenis

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We, the members of the Mathematics Department, honor the memory of our dear friend and colleague Kenneth J. Preskenis annually by hosting an NES/MAA Regional Dinner Meeting at Framingham State University in the Spring. The first NES/MAA Preskenis Dinner Meeting was held in Spring 2003.

A Tribute to Kenneth J. Preskenis
(1940-2002)

A dedicated teacher committed to excellence. A serious scholar. A popular son of South Boston. A gentleman. Ken Preskenis died of a heart attack on Thanksgiving Day, 2002.

Ken Preskenis had a passion for mathematics and for sharing that love with others, especially, youngsters. A relentless pursuer of knowledge, he was a regular participant at the weekly seminars in functional analysis at Brown University. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Weierstrass Approximation Theorem, Ken played a singular role in organizing a two-day conference in 1985 at Framingham State University (FSU), which was well-attended by high school teachers and college faculty. His extension of the approximation theorem in 1984 was a significant breakthrough.

Ken was a torchbearer in the promotion of quality in teaching and had high expectations of his students. In fact, he expected and demanded quality and accountability both inside and outside the classroom. He always encouraged students to excel in their studies and at work.

His mathematical interests, however, were not confined to the classroom or his office. He relayed his love of mathematics to young children through the Mathematics Olympics Program that he initiated at Southie's five parochial schools while he was on a sabbatical leave.

A South Boston Little League coach for 43 years, Ken often used baseball to promote mathematics, its power, and its beauty. He would use the sport to instill discipline, patience, and hard work, and to help players to understand mathematics and its intricate nature. An avid storyteller, he would entertain his classes with baseball jokes.

Ken served as the Program Co-Chair for the NES/MAA Fall 1990 meeting held at FSU, which had a record number of participants; this record still stands today. A member of the Local Arrangements Committee for the Fall 2002 meeting, he was active at the registration desk, registering participants, telling stories, and meeting new members. He presented contributed papers at nearly every Fall meeting of the Section and at numerous national conferences.

After graduating from Boston College High School in 1957, Ken entered Boston College; he graduated four years later. He received his M.S. in 1967 and Ph.D. in 1971, both from Brown University. Three years later, he did postdoctoral work at Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.

He joined the faculty at FSU in 1977 after teaching at Newton College and then at Boston College for a total of 14 years. He chaired the mathematics department at Newton College for six years.

An author of a number of articles in analysis and mathematics education, a regular attendee and contributor at NES/MAA meetings, a South Boston Athletic Hall of Famer, and a recipient of the Michael E. Glynn South Boston Community Service Award, Ken and his enthusiasm will be greatly missed by the mathematics community and especially the Section.

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Speaker History

First - 2003: Andrew Browder, Brown University
Second - 2004: Thomas Koshy, Framingham State University
Third - 2005: Robert Devaney, Boston University
Fourth - 2006: Edward Burger, Williams College
Fifth - 2007: Colin Adams, Williams College
Sixth - 2008: Lisa Hansen, Western New England University
Seventh - 2009: Harrison Straley, Wheaton College
Eighth - 2010: Annalisa Crannell, Franklin & Marshall College
Ninth - 2011: David Abrahamson, Rhode Island College
Tenth - 2012: Colin Adams, Williams College,
and Thomas Garrity, Williams College
Eleventh - 2013: David Abrahamson, Rhode Island College
Twelfth - 2014: Richard Cleary, Babson College
Thirteenth - 2015: James Brennan, University of Kentucky
Fourteenth - 2016: Frank Morgan, Williams College
Fifteenth - 2017: Donna Beers, Simmons College
Sixteenth - 2018: Reva Kasman, Salem State University
Seventeenth - 2019: Susan Loepp, Williams College

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This site was created and is maintained by Sarah L. Mabrouk, Mathematics Department, Framingham State University. If you notice any broken hyperlinks, please feel free to send email.