helped introduce 'new math'
Charles E. Rickart, a long-time mathematician at Yale whose interests ranged from algebra to the mechanics of how the mind processes mathematical knowledge, died on April 17, at the age of 88.
He lived in Evergreen Woods, North Branford.
A member of the Yale faculty since 1943, Mr. Rickart served as chair of the mathematics department 1959 to 1965 and was appointed the first Percey F. Smith Professor of Mathematics in 1963.
Professor Rickart authored three books, "General Theory of Banach Algebras," "Natural Function Algebras" and "Structuralism and Structures, A Mathematical Perspective." In the late 1950s and early 1960s he was involved in a textbook-
writing program which introduced "new math" into American schools. For many years during his 40-year career at Yale, Professor Rickart taught the introductory calculus course to freshmen.
Born in Osage City, Kansas, Mr. Rickart earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Kansas and his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Michigan. After earning his doctorate, he was the Benjamin Pierce Instructor for two years at Harvard University before coming to Yale.
For several years at Yale, Professor Rickart headed the Visiting Faculty Program, which allowed faculty members from neighboring colleges to observe Yale classes and attend seminars on campus. He also served on the advisory committee of the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute.
Professor Rickart retired from Yale in 1983. Five years later, he was presented the William Clyde DeVane Medal for distinguished scholarship and undergraduate teaching, awarded each year to a retired faculty member chosen by graduate members of the Yale Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. Shizuo Kakutani, a former colleague in the mathematics department, introduced Professor Rickart at the awards ceremony by saying, "There are four areas in which Professor Rickart has contributed to Yale: his research in mathematics, his teaching, his administrative work and his community work. By the latter, I mean his work within the Yale community, where he helped promote understanding and friendship between many different departments. Some people have excelled in one or two of these areas, but Professor Rickart did all four very well."
Professor Rickart was a member of the American Mathematical Society, the Mathematical Association of America, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Association of University Professors, among other professional organizations. He was an active fellow of Saybrook College.
He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Annabel Erickson Rickart; three sons, Mark C. of Willow Street, Pennsylvania, Eric A. of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Thomas M. of Waterbury, Connecticut; four grandchildren; and one great-grandson. He also leaves a sister, Verda Mae of McPherson, Kansas.
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