After 35 years of teaching and spreading his passion for mathematics at the College, former mathematics professor James "Jim" Baumgartner died suddenly on Dec. 28, 2011 in his Hanover home. Despite being a longtime multiple sclerosis patient, he died of an unrelated heart attack, according to his wife, Yolanda Baumgartner. He was 68 years old.
Baumgartner was born in Wichita, Kan. and attended the California Institute of Technology before transferring to the University of California, Berkeley where he met his future wife in 1962. An expert in the fields of logic and set theory, he first became interested in the discipline during a 1967 summer program at UC Berkeley, according to his son, Eric Baumgartner. He began teaching at the College after receiving his PhD in Mathematics from UC Berkeley in 1969.
He is credited with the co-development of the Baumgartner-Hajnal theorem of combinatorial set theory and published a number of papers considered hallmarks in the field, according to Stanley Wagon GR'75, who worked with Baumgartner.
Baumgartner's work attracted attention to his area of interest and to the College, Eric Baumgartner said.
"He kept in touch with this community of fellow mathematicians for decades and was constantly in touch with the international mathematics community," he said. "He helped make [Dartmouth] an attractive campus for other mathematicians."
Baumgartner brought a different perspective to the mathematics program at Dartmouth, according to Wagon.
"He got his degree ... during the golden age of his field," he said. "There was also an East-West distinction of logic, with Harvard-Yale-Princeton types in the East and Berkeley and Stanford types in the West. Jim had a Cali-type personality and brought Berkeley with him to Dartmouth."
The warmth of the Dartmouth community and the resources available to the mathematics program compelled Baumgartner to remain at the College for the duration of his career, according to Wagon.
"He was enamored with Dartmouth," Wagon said. "He was a leader in his field but stayed at the College for so long, which shows that he was committed to the place."
Baumgartner participated in the John Wesley Young Research Instructorship from 1969 to 1971, according to Alan Taylor GR'75, a graduate student in the mathematics department.
Although the instructorship includes a provision requiring recipients to leave their current institution, Baumgartner became the second person to break this rule, mathematics professor Martin Arkowitz said.
In his 35 years at Dartmouth, Baumgartner taught more than 40 classes.
"He was always interested in teaching new classes," Eric Baumgartner said. "He wasn't one of those professors that always teaches the same course and prepares the same material year after year. I remember that he was very excited about teaching a freshman writing seminar and had a lot of fun teaching it."
Baumgartner worked closely with his students through graduate advising and collaborative research.
"In the years from 1975 to 1982, Jim and I wrote six papers together," Taylor said. "The effect he had on my work and my admiration for him as a set-theorist, teacher and person never diminished. My years at Dartmouth, and especially working with Jim, are some of the fondest memories I have everything I have done professionally was shaped by that experience."
Baumgartner's influence reached beyond the classroom, and Thanksgiving dinners often included Baumgartner's students who were unable to return home for the holiday, Eric Baumgartner said.
"Jim and his wife Yolanda were gracious hosts, and the faculty included graduate students in many activities as if they were colleagues," Taylor said. "We also had a volleyball net set up outside the math building, and several department members, including Jim, could be counted on to take part in the daily matches."
Baumgartner also had a habit of pacing. Engrossed in mathematical calculations, he would spend hours walking up and down the length of Choate Road, arousing suspicion from onlookers and even resulting in an encounter with law enforcement, according to mathematics professor Dana Williams.
Outside his work on campus, Baumgartner served as a "fantastic role model," encouraging his children to pursue higher education, Eric Baumgartner said.
His characteristics made an impression on his colleagues in the mathematics department, who secretly referred to him as "Gentleman Jim."
"He was the man from Kansas that in a non-verbose way asserted himself and made known what he stood for," mathematics professor Dwight Lahr said. "He always exemplified the highest standards."
Baumgartner's legacy in the department will continue to influence the department and his colleagues' style of teaching, according to Williams.
"He was the Dartmouth ideal' in terms of professors because of his academic role and attention to detail," he said. "He taught well at every level and covered all the bases."
During his time at the College, Baumgartner served as the department chair and was on the Committee Advisory to the President. He helped shape an "outstanding research and teaching department" and played a role in appointing professors in other programs, Lahr said.
Baumgartner remained active and continued to teach on and off even after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He refused to let his condition interfere with his career goals or daily life, Eric Baumgartner said.
"He was a regular mountain biker, runner, tennis player and reader," Eric Baumgartner said. "He continued reading even after his multiple sclerosis started to catch up with him. He never let it affect his career or goals."
The mathematics department and National Multiple Sclerosis Society are accepting donations in Baumgartner's name, Eric Baumgartner said.
The date for the memorial service has not yet been set, but it will not be before March, according to the family. Members of the Dartmouth community will be invited to attend.
"Dartmouth and Jim were perfect for each other," Taylor said. "In terms of teaching, Dartmouth wants to be the best undergraduate institution in the world, but it also wants its faculty to do research on par with the other Ivy League schools. In its heart, Dartmouth knows this is an almost impossible task, but every once in a while, there comes along a Jim Baumgartner."
Baumgartner is survived by his wife Yolanda, his sons Eric and Jonathan and his grandchildren Grace, Milo and Margaret.
