1975 – Houston T. Karnes
Pi Mu Epsilon’s highest award, the C. C. MacDuffee Award for Distinguished Service, was presented to Dr. Houston T. Karnes at the summer 1975 meeting in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Professor Karnes, past-president of Pi Mu Epsilon, has long been active in mathematical circles. His service included appointments as professor of Mathematics and Biology, department head, Dean of Men, public school teacher, before 1938 when he went to Louisiana State University to start the cycle over again as instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, full professor, Dean of Men, and Director of several NSF programs and institutes. He has also served as President of a Board of Trustees, Consultant and Lecturer both here in the USA and in Alahabad. As if all these projects were not enough for one soft-spoken, always courteous gentleman, he also participated in various research projects in the mathematics of genetics and in mathematics education as well as very ably promoting the interests of Pi Mu Epsilon, the national college mathematics honor society.
It is rare to find so much ability and diligence in one person. When that person is also a man of excellent taste and thoughtful consideration, we have a Houston T. Karnes. He is a man we all admire, respect and try to emulate.
It is with great pride that we add Dr. Karnes’s name to those of the earlier recipients of the C. C. MacDuffee Distinguished Service Award.