Math Professor
While in college, a random opportunity to teach led to a decision to change his career focus. “When I do a math problem,” he said, “I’m in heaven.” But he also found a different, additional joy while pushing himself to run long distances.
FAMILY BACKGROUND
Tom Osler (TO) grew up in Camden, N.J. Recalling his childhood, TO described himself as “a sickly little kid at 12 or 13 who didn’t have many friends.
(Editor’s note: Perhaps this self-image led or contributed to his later joy while engaged in the solitary sport of long-distance running.)
EDUCATION
Following high school graduation after achieving a personal comfort level with all his math-related courses, TO earned a Bachelor’s degree in physics at Drexel University in Philadelphia, planning to become an electrical engineer.
CHOOSING HIS CAREER IN MATH
A chance opportunity to teach calculus while still a student at Drexel piqued TO’s interest in math and teaching so, he changed the focus of his career journey from electrical engineering to earn a Doctorate in mathematics at the Courant Institute of New York University.
In the classroom, Dr. O was an expert on fractional calculus. He was popular, students said, because he made mathematical variables, special functions and number theory comprehensible.
He cofounded the Rowan Math-Physics Seminar, now called the Mathematics Colloquium.
TO’s teaching career included professorships at Rowan University, Drexel University, St. Joseph’s University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
WRITER PLUS MATHEMATICIAN
Dr. O wrote or contributed to more than 150 often-cited papers on math and physics and won prestigious awards from the American Federation of Teachers, Mathematical Association of America and the journal Mathematics and Computer Education.
RUNNER
TO began running in earnest after his mother gave him a stopwatch for his 14th birthday. He ran the mile in 4 minutes, 54 seconds at Camden High School and won the Amateur Athletic Union’s 25-kilomer national championship in 1965.
In 1967, he won the AAU’s 30-kilometer and 50-mile national championship races and finished 19th in the Boston Marathon with a career-best marathon time of 2:29.04. He was most proud, however, of completing a 24-hour, 100-mile run for charity on the Rowan track in 1976.
TO kept a diary of his races dating to 1954 and recorded No. 1,800 in 2004. He averaged 50 training miles a week for years, became a mentor to countless younger runners and was inducted into several runners’ Halls of Fame.
“He wasn’t blessed with natural ability, but through hard training and smart training, he accomplished a lot,” noted a fellow runner and Rowan professor.
“I didn’t have a gift,” said TO, “but I loved running anyway, the exhilaration of feeling the body in full stride.”
Family and friends often debated which of TO’s achievements were greater: as a runner or his 51-year teaching career. Not offering a vote on that subject, TO once quietly admitted to his son Eric that he had an ever-so-slight preference for road races over arithmetic, confiding, “It’s the act of running, the rhythm. It’s the sports of kings.”
CAREER SATISFACTION
Late in his math career, TO announced that he was “never retiring. When I do a math problem, I’m in heaven. It’s like listening to Mozart.”
The dean of Rowan’s College of Science and Mathematics said, in a tribute to TO, “ Dr. Osler was one of those rare professors who has influenced thousands of students.”
Son Eric said of his dad, “He was family oriented. He was a good influence, steady and consistent, an incredible example.” Long-time friend Jack Heath added that he’ll never forget Dr. Osler’s “unwavering friendship, his constant encouragement, and his kindness.”
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This career story is based on an obituary written by Gary L. Miles (no pun intended as related to the hobby of Dr. Osler), published by the Philadelphia Inquirer on May 28, 2023.
