Indiana Section of the Mathematical Association of America
Distinguished Service Award

Citation to

Paul Mielke

To the best of our knowledge, a citation was not prepared for the presentation of this award; however, the following article appeared in the Fall 1993 Indiana M.A.A. Section Newsletter.

Double congratulations go to Professor Paul T. Mielke of Wabash College. In April, Paul was the recipient of the first Annual Indiana Section Distinguished Service Award, presented at the Tri-Section Meeting at Saint Mary's College. Also, at the Summer Meetings held in Vancouver, it was officially announced that Paul will also receive a 1994 MAA Certificate of Meritorious Service. The latter presentation will be made at the January Meetings in Cincinnati. The last time the Section had the privilege of nominating a recipient of the Certificate of Meritorious Service was 1989, when Rodney Hood of Franklin College was honored.

Professor Mielke received his bachelor's degree from Wabash College, where he has spent nearly all of his mathematical career, and he earned his Ph. D. in mathematics from Purdue University. He served as chairman of the Wabash College Mathematics Department and his efforts have impacted significantly on his department and school. During his nearly five decades of membership in the Mathematical Association of America, Paul has actvely contributed at the national and sectional levels. He served the Section as Secretary-Treasurer from 1960 to 1966, as Vice-Chair from 1968 to 1969, and as Governor from 1972 to 1975.

At the national level he served as the Executive Director of the MAA Committee on the Undergraduate Program in Mathematics (CUPM), and he was an associate editor for the American Mathematical Monthly. At Wabash College in 1965 he founded "The Friendly Mathematics Competition," which we all know today as "The Indiana College Mathematics Competition." Paul's continuing dedication to, and efforts on the behalf of, the ICMC are well-known and appreciated by the Section and its members.

The two Section committees charged with handling the nominations and selections of recipients of these two awards deserve the Section's appreciation for independently coming up with such a magnificent choice!