Harold Braun Reiter, USA

Harold Reiter (centre) receives his Erdös Award from WFNMC President Peter Taylor (left) and WFNMC Awards Committee Chairman Ron Dunkley (right). The presentation took place on Saturday 10 August 2002, at the Ibis Hotel, Melbourne, as part of WFNMC's 4th conference.

Citation

For thirty years, Harold Reiter has provided competitive academic opportunities for students. Through workshops, conferences and articles, he has spread the good word about mathematics competitions. He has given generously of his time and energy in creating and improving competitions at the local, national and international levels.

A listing of his activities includes the following. At one time or another he has been:

• founder of the Charlotte Mathematics Club
• founder of the Mecklenburg Mathematics Club
• founder of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Mathematics Contest
• Chair of the North Carolina High School Mathematics Contest

These are local activities. At the national level he has been:

• Chair of the MAA Committee on Local and Regional Competitions
• member of the Board of Advisors for the COMAP Math Modeling Contest
• member of the American Junior High School Mathematics Exam, the American Invitational Mathematics Exam, and the United States Mathematical Olympiad.
• Vice President of the International Tournament of Towns
• member of the Committee for the Canadian Mathematics Competition
• question writer of the Mathematics Foundation Middle School competition.

In addition to outstanding committee administrative skills, it is estimated that he has authored some 2,000 problems for competitions at all levels from early junior level to Olympiad level.

For many years he has offered workshops locally, nationally and internationally.

In addition to this devotion to mathematics competitions, he is also an outstanding educator. In recent years, he has been awarded distinguished teaching awards by his university, by the North Carolina Council of Teachers and by the Southeastern Section Mathematics Association.