Ronald Graham, born in Taft on October 31, 1935, became a central figure in the rapid global advancement of discrete mathematics during the twentieth century. Serving as a researcher at Bell Labs and a professor at the University of California, San Diego, he produced approximately 400 papers and collaborated with nearly 200 co-authors throughout his career.
Early Education and Military Service
Graham moved frequently during his childhood, eventually winning a Ford Foundation scholarship to the University of Chicago at age 15, where he studied gymnastics but no mathematics. He later enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, to study electrical engineering. After enlisting in the United States Air Force in 1955, he completed a bachelor’s degree in physics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1959. He returned to Berkeley to earn his Ph.D. in mathematics in 1962 under the supervision of D. H. Lehmer.
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Starting in 1962, Graham worked at Bell Labs, eventually serving as Director of Information Sciences and Chief Scientist. In 1963, he met the Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős, beginning a lifelong partnership. Graham later popularized the Erdős number to measure collaboration distance. In 1999, he retired from AT&T and joined the University of California, San Diego, as the Irwin and Joan Jacobs Endowed Professor, while also serving as chief scientist at the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology.
Mathematical Contributions and Recognition
Graham’s research spanned scheduling theory, computational geometry, and Ramsey theory. His notable work includes the Graham scan algorithm for convex hulls and the Coffman-Graham algorithm for scheduling. He co-authored six books, including Concrete Mathematics with Donald Knuth and Oren Patashnik. His academic leadership included presidencies of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America. He received numerous honors, including the Steele Prize for Lifetime Achievement and the Euler Medal.
Personal Pursuits
Beyond his academic life, Graham was an accomplished juggler and trampolinist, once serving as president of the International Jugglers' Association. He performed in a circus while a graduate student to support his family. He was also a competitive athlete, winning a California state trampoline title and later becoming a champion at ping-pong, a sport in which he frequently competed against Paul Erdős.
Fast facts
- Born: 1935, Taft
- Died: 2020, La Jolla
- Citizenship: United States
- Doctoral Advisor: D. H. Lehmer
- Employment: Bell Labs, University of California, San Diego
- Professional Organizations: National Academy of Sciences, American Mathematical Society
- Primary Fields: Combinatorics, Graph Theory
- Awards: Steele Prize for Lifetime Achievement (2003), Euler Medal (1993)
Questions readers ask
What is the Erdős number?
It is a measure of the collaborative distance between an individual and the mathematician Paul Erdős in the network of academic research co-authorship.
Did Graham publish work under a pseudonym?
Yes, he published a paper on the Erdős number using the name Tom Odda and contributed to publications by the pseudonymous G. W. Peck.
Achievements
- Euler Medal — 1993
- Euler Book Prize — 2013
- Steele Prize for Lifetime Achievement — 2003
- George Pólya Prize
- Held posts at University of California, San Diego, Bell Labs and California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology
- Fields: combinatorics, graph theory and mathematics
