David Kelly (mathematics educator)

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David C. Kelly was a professor of mathematics at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. Kelly founded the Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics program.

Contents

Early life and education

Kelly was originally from New Rochelle, New York, but moved frequently as the child of a military father. [1] He held an AB from Princeton, an SM from MIT [2] (after stopping out from a doctoral program there [1] ) and an AM from Dartmouth. [2]

Career and later life

Kelly taught at Oberlin College and Talladega College [2] before joining Hampshire College in 1970 as one of its founding faculty members. [1] He founded the Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics, a six-week program for mathematically talented high school students, in 1971 and directed the program for many years.

He retired in 2015, [3] and died on June 10, 2025. [1]

Yellow pigs and 17

During his time at Princeton in the early 1960s, Kelly and fellow student Michael Spivak [4] created "Yellow Pig's Day," an annual celebration of mathematics and the number 17. He continued to be involved in the organization of the holiday each year, commemorating the day with food, songs, [5] a reunion, and mathematics. [6] He was quite familiar with many of the properties of the number 17, [6] and gave a special lecture on the subject each summer.

Recognition

Kelly was elected to the 2026 class of Fellows of the American Mathematical Society, but died before he could celebrate this honor. [7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Hampshire College Mourns Founding Faculty Member David C. Kelly". Hampshire College. August 11, 2025. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
  2. 1 2 3 "Hampshire College Faculty Bio" . Retrieved Jan 22, 2012.
  3. ↑ Hampshire College honors retiring math professor David Kelly with 17 mph speed limit signs, October 16 2015
  4. ↑ "Why Yellow Pigs?" . Retrieved Jan 22, 2012.
  5. ↑ "YP Day Songs".
  6. 1 2 Laura A. Haight (1982-02-05). "Hamming It Up At Hampshire: Mathematics Gone Hogwild". Harvard Crimson . Retrieved 2007-03-04.
  7. ↑ "2026 Class of Fellows of the AMS". American Mathematical Society. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
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