The Indiana College Mathematics Competition: A Short History

Summary

On April 27, 1965, Peter Edson, a trustee of Wabash College, sent our dean a memorandum that included a newspaper clipping about a unique mathematics competition that was held among high schools in New Jersey. In this competition, each school entered a team that worked as a team on a set mathematics examination. Edson wondered if anything of that sort was done at the college level. I answered that I knew of no such competition but that I would be willing to suggest the idea to my Indiana colleagues. Thus, on May 18, 1965, I wrote a letter to heads of departments in the small colleges of Indiana relaying Edson's suggestion. Response to my letter was immediate and favorable, so I wrote a second letter, which read in part:

The Mathematics Department of Wabash College is pleased to invite its counterparts in the other colleges of Indiana to a friendlymathematics competition to be held on Saturday afternoon, March 12, 1966, at Wabash College, Crawfordsville. The purpose of this competition is to stimulate friendship and mathematical interest among members of the various departments and their undergraduate students. Program for the day, which we are calling “Pete Edson Day” in honor of the Wabash College trustee who conceived the idea for the contest, is as follows:

11:30 A.M. – 12:30 P.M. Registration, Baxter Hall Lounge, Wabash College

12:30 P.M. – Luncheon, South Mezzanine, Campus Center. Participants will be guests of the College.

2:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. – The competition, a written examination for undergraduates

2:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. – Informal seminar for members of the various departments

4:00 P.M. – Coffee hour at which test papers will be gathered, Baxter Lounge