David Earl Zitarelli (August 12, 1941, Chester, Pennsylvania – December 3, 2018)[1][2] was an American mathematician and historian of mathematics, known for his 2-volume work on the history of mathematics (before 1942) in the United States and Canada.[3][4][5]

Biography

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Zitarelli grew up in Holmes, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. He graduated in 1959 from Ridley High School. At Temple University he graduated in 1963 with a bachelor's degree and in 1965 with a master's degree. He married Anita Paul in 1966. He received his Ph.D. in 1970 from Pennsylvania State University.[1] His Ph.D. thesis Subdirectory irreducible finite inverse semigroups was supervised by Mario Petrich [d] (1932–2015), famous among mathematicians for his research in semigroup theory.[6][7] From 1970 to 2012, David Zitarelli was a faculty member in the mathematics department of Temple University. In 2012 he retired as professor emeritus and he and his wife moved to Minnesota. During his first decade at Temple University, he did research on algebraic semigroups.[8] In 1977 he was promoted to associate professor and gained tenure.[9] Beginning in 1984, he collaborated with Raymond F. Coughlin (who joined Temple University's faculty in 1970) on a dozen textbooks (including multiple editions). Zitarelli later collaborated with David R. Hill (who joined Temple University's faculty in 1973) on the textbook Linear Algebra Labs with MATLAB.[1][10] During his 42 years at Temple University, Zitarelli won several teaching awards. He wrote a history, covering the years 1926 to 2000) of the Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware Section (EPaDel or EPADEL) of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).[11][12]

In 2004 Zitarelli began working on his comprehensive history of mathematics in the United States and Canada. He completed the first volume, covering the years from 1492 to 1900, in 2018 and was working hard to complete the second volume, covering the years since 1900, when he died suddenly from a heart attack.[13] The second volume, published in 2021, was completed (up through the year 1941) by Della Dumbaugh and Stephen F. Kennedy, professor emeritus at Carleton College.[3] In 2015 the MAA's online journal Convergence published Zitarelli's article Alan Turing in America.[14]

When David Zitarelli died in 2018 after 52 years of marriage, he was survived by his widow, a son, a daughter, and four grandchildren.[13][1]

Selected publications

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Articles

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Books

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  • Exercises in group theory. New York: Plenum Press. 1972. ISBN 0306305054. LCCN 78141243; by E. S. Lyapin, A. Ya. Aizenshtat, and M. M. Lesokhin. Translated by David E. Zitarelli{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  • Ascent of mathematics. New York: McGraw-Hill. 1984. ISBN 0070132151. LCCN 83017548; by Raymond Coughlin, David E. Zitarelli{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  • Finite mathematics with applications. Philadelphia: Saunders College Publication. 1989; by David E. Zitarelli, Raymond F. Coughlin{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link); 2nd edition 1992 LCCN 91-58104 ISBN 0030558646
  • Calculus with applications. Philadelphia: Saunders College Publications. 1989. LCCN 89127031; by Raymond F. Coughlin, David E. Zitarelli{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link); 2nd edition 1993 LCCN 92-50299 ISBN 0030557577
  • Finite mathematics with calculus: an applied approach. Philadelphia: Saunders College Publications. 1989. LCCN 89060301; by David E. Zitarelli, Raymond F. Coughlin{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link); 2nd edition 1992 LCCN 91-58103 ISBN 0030558492
  • Brief calculus with applications. Philadelphia: Saunders College Publications. 1990. ISBN 0030315972. LCCN 89043049; by Raymond F. Coughlin, David E. Zitarelli{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Cook, Bonnie L. (14 December 2018). "David Zitarelli, 77, Temple professor emeritus and expert in history of math". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  2. ^ "David Zitarelli Obituary (1941 - 2018) - Formerly of Holmes, PA - Delaware County Daily & Sunday Times". Legacy.com.
  3. ^ a b Zitarelli, David E. A history of mathematics in the United States and Canada. Providence, Rhode Island: MAA Press, an imprint of the American Mathematical Society. LCCN 2018024243; 2019–2022, with Della Dumbaugh and Stephen F. Kennedy{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
    Zitarelli, David E. (21 October 2019). Volume 1, 1492–1930. American Mathematical Soc. ISBN 9781470448295.
    Zitarelli, David E.; Dumbaugh, Della; Kennedy, Stephen F. (28 July 2022). Volume 2, 1900–1941. American Mathematical Society. ISBN 9781470467302; pbk{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  4. ^ Guthery, Scott (December 14, 2019). "review of A History of Mathematics in the United States and Canada: Volume 1: 1492-1900". MAA Reviews, Mathematical Association of America.
  5. ^ Ackerberg-Hastings, Amy (January 4, 2023). "review of A History of Mathematics in the United States and Canada: Volume 2: 1900-1941". MAA Reviews, Mathematical Association of America.
  6. ^ David Earl Zitarelli at the Mathematics Genealogy Project
  7. ^ Szendei, Mária B.; Silva, Pedro V. (23 November 2021). "A tribute to Mario Petrich". Semigroup Forum. 104: 1–9. doi:10.1007/s00233-021-10235-5. arXiv preprint
  8. ^ "David E. Zitarelli: An Autobiographical Sketch" (PDF). wordpress.com. 2018.
  9. ^ Parshall, Karen Hunger (May 2019). "David E. Zitarelli (1941–2018)" (PDF). Bulletin of the Canadian Society for the History and Philosophy of Mathematics. 64: 12–13; last updated on 10/29/2020{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  10. ^ Hill, David; Zitarelli, David (2003). Linear Algebra Labs with MATLAB (3rd ed.). Pearson. ISBN 0131432745; 336 pages{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link) (See MATLAB.)
  11. ^ Zitarelli, David E. (January 1, 2001). EPADEL: A semisequiceninial history, 1926–2000. Raymond-Reese Book Company. ISBN 0964707705; 210 pages{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link) EPADEL introduction at math.upenn.edu
  12. ^ "EPaDel - Section History". EpaDel, MAA Section for Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware, Mathematical Association of America (maa.org).
  13. ^ a b "Obituary for David Zitarelli". StarTribune. Minneapolis. December 2018.
  14. ^ Zitarelli, David (2015). "Alan Turing in America". Convergence. doi:10.4169/convergence20150101. (See Alan Turing.)