DATE: October 21, 2008

CONTACT: Diane Smathers, 864-656-3990
dsmthrs@clemson.edu

WRITER: Karl Hill, 864-656-0937
karlh@clemson.edu

John Kenelly receives Clemson's first Distinguished Emeriti Award

CLEMSON — John W. Kenelly Jr. retired from Clemson University's mathematical sciences department in 1994, but his résumé keeps growing longer. Scholarly publications. Presentations at international conferences. Leadership in professional organizations. Volunteer activities.

Kenelly's résumé grew again this month when he received the first Distinguished Emeriti Award presented by Clemson University's Emeritus College.

The award was created to recognize outstanding emeritus faculty members for sustained contributions to academia, continued service to the university and the community and personal accomplishments in retirement, said Diane Smathers, associate vice provost and director of the Emeritus College.

"John Kenelly is a terrific role model for retired faculty members who want to stay active and engaged," Smathers said. "His accomplishments are numerous. He gets things done and he gives back to the university and the community.”

Since retiring, the Pendleton resident has published two articles in the journal Mathematics Teacher. His textbook "Calculus Concepts" has gone through four editions and sold more than 100,000 copies. He delivered the keynote address at the International Conference on Mathematics Education in Tokyo in 2000 and addressed the Pan Africa Conference on Mathematics the same year.

He serves as treasurer of the Mathematical Association of America and he was in charge of the association's preparations when the United States hosted the International Mathematics Olympiad in 2001.

Closer to home, he is on the board of Hospice of the Foothills Foundation and is a past board member of the Oconee Memorial Hospital Foundation and Wachovia Bank.

Kenelly taught at the University of Florida and the University of Southwestern Louisiana before joining the Clemson faculty, where he was an associate professor from 1963 to 1968. He went to the University of New Orleans as a professor and department chairman and then returned to Clemson in 1969 as head of the mathematics department.

He served as department head for eight years and continued as a professor in the department. From 1985 until his retirement in 1994, he held the title of Alumni Distinguished Professor.

Kenelly earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics at Southeastern Louisiana University, his master's at the University of Mississippi and his Ph.D. at the University of Florida.

Clemson's Emeritus College was established in 2003 to provide a means for retired faculty to stay connected to the university and support its teaching, research and outreach missions. Kenelly was a founding member of the Emeritus College Advisory Board and the Friends of the Emeritus College.

"John is the perfect example of what the Emeritus College is all about," Smathers said. "We are proud of him and fortunate to have his continued involvement with the university."

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