28 May 1999

Dear All,

I am pleased to announce that Mary Louise Rhodus of Sedona, Arizona has pledged a gift of $1,000,000 to the Department of Mathematics in honor of her late husband N. Wayne Rhodus.

Mr. Rhodus received Bachelor's and Master's degrees in mathematics from Ohio State in the late 1950's. After his studies he pursued a successful career in engineering and, in particular, was a developer of the global positioning system.

Mrs. Rhodus intends the gift be used to provide fellowships for graduate students studying numerical analysis and applied mathematics, the areas in which her husband worked.

Mrs. Rhodus will visit the Department on Monday, June 14. We're planning a ceremony in the lounge that day starting at 4:00pm and you are all invited to join the festvities. Graduate students are particularly encouraged to attend.

Best,

Peter

Newell Wayne Rhodus wrote his Master's thesis entitled Matrix Inversion by Partitioning and Iteration in 1959 under the direction of Roy F. Reeves. A copy of his thesis is available in the basement of the Science and Engineering Library.

He went on to become one of the primary architects of the Global Positioning System (GPS), whose design is described in:

The GPS 21 Primary Satellite Constellation G.B. Green (USAF Space Division), P.D. Massatt and N.W. Rhodus (Aerospace Corporation); Journal of the Institute of Navigation, Spring 1989.

See also:

• Wife Makes Gift to `Mistress' - Campaign Update article
• N. Wayne Rhodus Alcove and Display

Department of Mathematics