In Honor of Henry Biddle

My former mathematics teacher, Henry Biddle, died last year.

He was an extraordinary man. He had great enthusiasm for his subject, and he was able to convey that enthusiasm to all sorts of people who otherwise would not have cared about mathematics one way or another. He could be entertaining, playing Columbo the detective as part of explaining the scientific method. And he was able to reach people and get them to think, even when these people would otherwise not have been able or willing to do so.

Henry Biddle continued working long after his retirement, teaching mathematics at a local community college. And I am sure that he inspired a lot of people there as well.

Henry Biddle was a devout Christian; and when I asked him how he reconciled Christianity with mathematics he said that there was no contradiction. According to him, mathematics was a pathway toward understanding God. The universe was a revealed treasure of divine truths; and in understanding the universe – mathematically and scientifically - one understood God.

I consider myself privileged for having been the recepient of this man's instructions. He had a lot of wise things to say. More should be done to empower people who have this kind of insight. He is no longer alive; but his legacy lives on in the hearts of his students. And I consider myself privileged for having been one of his students.