Robert E. Lee Moore's status in the histoy and education of mathematics in the United states is very important. At one time, his method of teaching was thought to be the very best. When he died, there was a laudatory article in the Math Monthly, a publication of the Mathematical Association of America. Because of that story, I tell the African American story of

R. L. Moore
racist mathematician exemplified

There were many racist mathematicians in the history of mathematics in the United States.

1. William Hunt, Ph.D. from the University of Texas-Austin: "I also wanted to take Robert E.Lee Moore's famous, Foundations of Point-Set Topology. However, that was not to be. The reason, I was black! His words were, you are welcome 'to take my course but you start with a C and can only go down from there.'"

2. Raymond Johnson, Ph.D. from Rice University, ex-University of Texas-Austin undergraduate:

"The image of R. L. Moore in my eyes, however, is that of a mathematician who went to a topology lecture given by a student of R. H. Bing. Bing was (a famous Topologist, and a) student of Moore. The speaker was what mathematicians refer to as Moore's mathematical grandson. When Moore discovered that the student was black, he walked out of the lecture. (Parenthetically, let me say one more good thing about Bing. He was a topologist of world-renowned stature and Texas desperately wanted to attract him back from Wisconsin. Word was that Bing had said he would never return to Texas while Moore was there. Moore died and a year or so later Bing returned to Texas. I have a very different image of R. H. Bing.

3. Vivienne Mayes-Malone, Ph.D. from the University of Texas-Austin: She could not enroll in professor R.L. Moore class, as he explicitly stated that he did not teach Blacks. Overlooking all this, another of her professors, complaining against the civil rights demonstrations, said to her: "If all those out there were like you, hard-working and studious, we wouldn't have any problems." Her reply: "If it hadn't been for those hell-raisers out there, you wouldn't even know me."

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