Family members and friends gathered in Rollins Chapel Sunday to remember and celebrate the life of Dartmouth mathematics professor Kenneth Paul Bogart, who died in a biking accident at the age of 62 while on sabbatical in California on March 30.
Bogart's relatives, students and peers offered a warm image of Ken as a man with a sense of humor, a love of life and a natural ability to explain and break down complex mathematical concepts in the simplest terms. Ken was remembered fondly as both a scholar and a friend.
The service, led by Chaplain Richard Crocker, included remembrances by President James Wright and Dartmouth professors Ernst Snapper and Thomas Shemanske. They were joined by Ken's wife Ruth and several of his relatives.
Dudley Bogart, Ken's younger brother, said that Ken was a wise role model as the brothers grew up together in Cincinnati and later a fun uncle for his own nieces and nephews whenever he came back to Ohio to visit.
"Kenny made a big impact on me when he taught me how to throw a baseball, literally," Dudley joked as he recounted one of Ken's lessons that ended up knocking his brother over. "Then he taught me how to catch."
Dudley went on to describe how excited his kids became whenever their uncle visited them, and how his visits often resulted in up to three visits to the ice cream parlor Graeter's per day.
Dudley was followed by Ken's older brother, Raymond Bogart, who remembered Ken in his early years as less of a role model and more of a scrappy sidekick who tended to pick up the blame for their shenanigans. Still, Raymond affirmed, Ken matured as he grew older, becoming an Eagle Scout, neighborhood entrepreneur, committed student and a talented teacher.
"We are all richer in what we have learned about mathematics and about life," Raymond said.
As speakers remembered the different sides of Bogart, they all praised his skill and enthusiasm as a teacher and leader.
Bogart started teaching mathematics at Dartmouth in 1968 after receiving his PhD from the California Institute of Technology the same year. In his 37 years at the College, Bogart was a leading scholar in the field of combinatorics and a pioneer of new ways to teach mathematics. His teaching theory of "guided discovery," which offers students the chance to work toward solutions at their own pace and direction, was among his most significant contributions to the field of combinatorics.
Bogart also chaired the mathematics department from 1989 to 1995 and led the project to move the department to the new Kemeny Hall.
