R. H. Bing (1914-1986) graduated from Southwest Texas State Teachers College, San Marcos, in 1935 and, after several years as a high school mathematics teacher commenced graduate study at The University of Texas at Austin under R. L. Mooore, receiving his doctorate in 1945. In 1947 he moved to the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he remained until returning to The University of Texas in 1973. Bing was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1965 (council member, 1970-1980), and was a member of the National Science Board (1968-1974) and of the National Research Council governing board (1977-1980). In 1974 he received the Mathematical Association of American Award for Distinguished Service to Mathematics.
Bing's research concentrated on the geometric topology of 3-manifolds, particularly their pathology. His side approximation theorem for 2-spheres in Euclidean 3-space and his "Bing shrinking" procedure have been genrealized to higher dimensional manifolds. Bing summarized the field in his
Interviews with R. H. Bing conducted by Michael Starbird and Suji Singh at Southwest Texas State in 1984 at a topology conference in honor of Bing's 70th birthday. DVD includes one 30-minute and two 40-minute sessions.
Forms part of the Archives of American Mathematics
Unrestricted access.
R. H. Bing Interviews, 1984, Archives of American Mathematics, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.
R. H. Bing Papers at the Archives of American Mathematics, Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin
Some R. H. Bing papers are also in the Archives of Southwest Texas State University.