Honoring Jean Calloway & George Nielsen: A Tribute to Mathematical Connections

The Richard Goode and Sarah Shafer concert honors the memory of two beloved Kalamazoo College faculty members: Jean Calloway and George Nielsen. Their love for this institution was matched by their deep passion for music, especially the pairing of piano and voice.

Jean’s musical journey began in childhood in the Mississippi Delta. At the age of twelve, he performed Clair de Lune on Memphis radio station WREC, and he remained a serious pianist throughout his life. His love of opera was sparked as an undergraduate at Millsaps College when he attended a traveling production of Faust in Memphis. From then on, he kept a meticulous record of every opera he attended—a list that grew to over six hundred performances worldwide.

Jean joined the faculty at Kalamazoo College in 1960 with a clear mission: to build a new mathematics department and develop a curriculum for the innovative K Plan. One of his first hires was George Nielsen.

George, a native of northern Ohio, had just completed a dissertation of such promise that his advisor urged him to aim for a more prestigious position. But Kalamazoo College, with its ambitious Foreign Study Program, had a global reach. Without a family of his own, George became a mentor to many international students, forming deep, lasting connections with families from around the world.

Jean and George had much in common. George, too, was a pianist, having accompanied the glee club at Ohio Wesleyan as an undergraduate. They also shared a love of bridge, fine food, and opera. Their legendary desserts were a highlight of department potlucks, and they became known for their marathon opera trips to Chicago. For years, Jean held season tickets to the Lyric Opera, and George often joined him. As soon as their classes ended, they would drive to Chicago, grab a quick dinner, attend the performance, and drive back through the night—arriving home just in time for a few hours of sleep before the next day’s lectures.

This concert’s program is sponsored by Rosemary Brown, a close friend of both Jean and George. With a degree in Mathematics Education from Rutgers, she became a key figure in Kalamazoo’s math education community after moving here in 1977. Her dedication and commitment to mathematics has had a profound and lasting impact on our community, as has her support for the arts.

John Fink
Rosemary K Brown Professor Emeritus of Mathematics
Kalamazoo College

Richard Goode & Sarah Shafer

Now Wednesday, June 18, 7:30 pm | Stetson Chapel
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