KU honors "New Math" leader G. Baley Price, 97

Forty-five years ago, there was just one on campus. In Room 8C in Strong Hall, thanks to math professor G. Baley Price, sat KU's first computer, an IBM 650

Now it is hard to find a room on campus without a computer.

That is just one part of the legacy that Baley, a distinguished professor emeritus whose ties with KU span more than 65 years, leaves the university. The man who acquired the university's first computer is now giving University Archives his professional papers.

At a reception on campus last month on the eve of his 97th birthday, Price reminisced about his long career at KU and decisions he had made that changed the face of KU and the rest of society.

Price, a 1932 Harvard University graduate who came to KU in 1937 and retired in 1970, pushed for change throughout his tenure at KU. At the reception, he discussed issues ranging from World War II's effect on the university to his struggles promoting the "new math" of the 20th century.

"We succeeded, I guess, because we actually sent a man to the moon," Price said. "Some people liked it and some people didn't like it. Some people didn't because they couldn't help their children with their homework."

An exhibit celebrating the donation, "G. Baley Price Papers: Connecting the Generations," will be on display at the library through April 15.

Price's wife, Cora Lee Beers Price, whose papers are included in the collection, also was honored during the ceremony at Spencer. A retired assistant professor of English and classics at KU, Cora Lee Beers Price was at first banned from employment at KU because of some now-defunct policies.

"When she came here she wasn't allowed to teach," Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost David Shulenburger said. "We had a nepotism rule. Thank goodness something made us break that rule."

#top#