Amy C. King facts for kids
Amy Catheryne Patterson King (born December 30, 1928 – died June 7, 2014) was an American mathematician and a teacher who helped others learn math. She became a special professor of mathematics at Eastern Kentucky University. She was also recognized for being an excellent teacher by a group called the Kentucky Section of the Mathematical Association of America.
About Amy King
Amy Catheryne Patterson was born on December 30, 1928, in Douglas, Wyoming. She married Don King, who became a professor of dentistry. They did not have any children. Her brother, James D. Patterson, was also a professor, teaching physics at the Florida Institute of Technology.
She was a member of the Centenary United Methodist Church in Lexington, Kentucky. Amy King passed away on June 7, 2014, due to a house fire at her home in Lexington.
Her Education and Career
Amy King graduated from the University of Missouri. She earned a master's degree from Wichita State University in 1960. Her master's paper was about ways to solve certain math problems.
She joined the Mathematical Association of America in 1961. In 1963, she co-wrote a book called Pathways to Probability: History of the Mathematics of Certainty and Chance. This book was about the history of probability, which is the study of chance.
She taught mathematics at several universities, including Wichita State University, Washburn University, the University of Kansas, and the University of Kentucky.
Later in her life, she went back to school to get her Ph.D. She worked with Professor S. M. Shah at the University of Kentucky. She finished her Ph.D. in 1970. Her Ph.D. paper was about a special type of math function. In the early 1970s, she also studied the important work done by women in mathematics.
She taught mathematics at Eastern Kentucky University from 1972 until she retired in 1998. She was given the special title of Foundation Professor emerita when she retired.
Awards and Honors
Amy King received many awards for her teaching.
- In 1992, she was the very first person to win the Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics from the Kentucky Section of the Mathematical Association of America.
- She was named Foundation Professor at Eastern Kentucky University in 1993. This was the highest honor the university gives to its teachers.
- In 2011, a special math classroom at Eastern Kentucky University was named after her. This honored her important role in math education at the university.
Both Wichita State University and Eastern Kentucky University offer scholarships named after her. These scholarships help students who want to study mathematics.
