Anything-but-retired professor

Gerald Rising doesn't seem to understand the meaning of retirement.

Since retiring in 1994, after over 30 years of teaching as a Distinguished Teaching Professor emeritus in the department of learning and education, he has yet to succumb to a life of boredom and afternoon naps.

"I tell people to practice saying 'No' five years before they retire. It's something I haven't been able to do," he joked.

Rising came to UB in 1966 amidst great student unrest, when the North Campus was still an expanse of empty green space, and student protests and tear gas in the stairwells were notorious campus events. He has witnessed the growth of UB to its current stature over the course of his career.

"The students were really invested," he said of UB's students in the mid-1960s, who took an active interest in foreign events. "The University has changed a great deal in interesting ways."

Co-director of the Gifted Math Program for exceptional students in grades seven through 12, and a nature columnist for the Buffalo News for the past 15 years, Rising continues to leave an indelible mark on the UB community.

He is currently working to guarantee the future existence of the GM program he established 26 years ago along with Betty Krist, an adjunct professor in the department of learning and education. He serves as director emeritus, and has been active on the advisory board as the transition is made to new leadership.

Over 250 secondary students are enrolled in the program, most of who have gone on to earn professional degrees and excel in the field.

Rising taught classes in the program for the first six years before handing it over to other teachers. One of his first students, Kelvin Lee, a chemistry professor at Cornell University was listed as one of the 40 outstanding chemists in the country. Peter Schoeff, another of his GMP students, started a computer company and was able to retire five years ago in his early-30s.

The professor is also writing a book tentatively titled, "How your Calculator Calculates," that explores the algorithms of a calculator for trade publication.

His column, "Nature Watch," has yielded over 750 columns. At present, it runs in the Sunday paper of the Buffalo News on the science page. He came to write the column 15 years ago after the previous columnist, a zoologist, passed away. He was writing a column for a local ecological newspaper at the time, and was urged by friends to apply for the position.

This past Sunday was the first time the column did not run, as a piece about Nature View Park in Amherst was deemed too political. A publicist is working with Rising to get his nature column syndicated across the country.

In addition, Rising also serves on the board of the Buffalo Audubon Society and the Friends of the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.

The professor boasts an impressive r?(c)sum?(c). He graduated from the University of Rochester in 1948 with a degree in English. After receiving his masters in education, he taught at the high school level for 11 years, teaching at various schools in the Rochester area and coaching football.

Rising's desire to teach at the college level led him to go on for his masters in mathematics, receiving his M.S. from Notre Dame in 1961, and eventually his doctorate from New York University in 1965. He taught for a short period at the University of Minnesota before settling in Buffalo.

While at UB, Rising taught math and computer science courses, and worked with teachers in training. After retiring, he continued to teach an honors seminar in mathematics.

Over the course of his career Rising has made many contributions in the study of mathematics, publishing two popular books, 13 textbooks, over 90 articles, and 200 reviews and abstracts.

Rising has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Chancellor's Award in 1981, and that of Distinguished Teaching Professor in 1986, one of less than 40 to receive the award since 1977.

Despite a career of renowned publications and research, Rising said his focus has always been on the students who step into his classroom.

Rising said his fondest memory of teaching occurred shortly after he came to UB. A student he described as "hippy," who often wore pajama tops and pants with holes, asked him to borrow a large stack of textbooks in his office. Excited that the student was taking interest in the class, Rising let him take them.

At the end of the semester, when the student brought them back, he set them down, turned to Rising and said, "I don't know what I'm going to use for a chair now."

At that, Rising said he could only laugh.

"I've always thought of myself as a teacher. I did the required research and publications, but I really like the students," Rising said. "They have been the centerpiece of my career."