Donald King was a faculty member in the math department of Northeastern University for almost 40 years. He retired at the end of 2018. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York, in the 1950s and early 1960s, at which time he developed a deep passion for mathematics and physics. With the help of very loving and supportive parents (without high school diplomas), along with a string of encouraging teachers, he excelled in the public schools — especially Stuyvesant High School — and graduated from Harvard in 1968. After a period of radical political activism, he refocused on mathematics and graduated from M.I.T. with a Ph.D. in mathematics in 1979.
Throughout his career, a major focus of Don’s efforts has been on increasing the participation and performance of underrepresented minorities in the mathematical sciences. This is often called the “pipeline problem”. One aspect of this issue is securing financial aid for such students. From 2006 to 2012, Don provided financial support for undergrad STEM majors at Northeastern through the Mathematics and Science Talent Scholarship program
During his retirement, Don continues to work on several aspects and several levels of the “pipeline problem”: (1) diversifying the AP Calculus community through Bridge to Calculus; (2) mentoring students through the National Alliance for Doctoral Studies in the Mathematical Sciences; and (3) documenting the contributions of Mathematicians of the African Diaspora to the mathematical sciences.
Don is providing the same kind support that he received from faculty such as Bob Case and Tom Sherman, when he was a master’s student at Northeastern in the early 1970’s.