Fifty Years and Counting: Working with Jeremy Kilpatrick

Abstract

This is a personal reflection about Jeremy Kilpatrick by a friend and colleague. I attempt to portray him as an outstanding scholar in mathematics education but from a personal perspective as well as professional. We worked together as graduate students and research associates at Stanford, and our collaboration continued as he joined the faculty at Teachers College, Columbia, and I joined the faculty at the University of Georgia. In 1975, he joined our faculty in Georgia, and I was his department head for the first 18 years he was here. Jeremy’s mentors in graduate student days included George Polya, Edward G. Begle, William Brownell, and Lee J. Cronbach. I submit that Jeremy’s link to these four scholars is a unique and rich intellectual heritage, but he also earned the admiration and support of each of them. More than any other person, Jeremy Kilpatrick has transformed the field of mathematics education and led us into the development of our field as an emerging discipline. His vision and influence are recognized worldwide, and he has brought an international perspective to mathematics education.