A Guide to the George Lenchner Papers, 1943-2006

Biographical Note

George Lenchner (1917-2006) was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He was interested in mathematics early in his life, and was a member of the math team at Boys High School (Brooklyn, NY) in the early 1930s. In 1939, Lenchner received his bachelor's degree from the City College of New York.

During WWII he served in the Army as an Airborne Ranger (with the rank of lieutenant), and in 1944, he was wounded on Omaha Beach during the D-day landing operations. He was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. Following his service in the Army, he received his master's degree in music from New York University in 1948.

Lenchner began teaching high school mathematics in 1950 when he joined the faculty at New Utrecht High School in Brooklyn. In 1953, he took a job at Valley Stream North High School (Long Island, NY) as its math chairman. In 1954, he proposed the creation of the Nassau County (NY) Interscholastic Mathematics League (NCIML) for high school students. By 1955, the NCIML was fully operational, with Lenchner serving as its leader. Also around this time, he formed the Nassau County Association of Math Supervisors, and he proposed the formation of the Nassau County Junior High School Mathematics League, which held its first meet in 1960. In addition, Lenchner helped Alfred Kalfus form the Suffolk County Interscholastic Mathematics League.

In 1965, he earned a master's degree in mathematics from Adelphi University. He became Director of Mathematics for the Valley Stream Central School District in 1970. In 1972, Lenchner received his Ed.D. in Mathematics Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. He created the Mathematical Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools (MOEMS) for the Valley Stream elementary schools in 1978. Lenchner retired from the Valley Stream school system in 1983 in order to focus fully on MOEMS. He retired from MOEMS in 1995.

Lenchner authored numerous publications, including (with Judy Broadwin) a solutions manual for the Advanced Placement examinations in calculus, and two volumes of Math Olympiad problems. His in-service course, The Art of Problem Solving in School Mathematics , was published by Houghton Mifflin in 1983, with the title Creative Problem Solving in School Mathematics. Examples of his honors and awards include being named a National Science Foundation Fellow, the Mathematics Teacher of the Year Award from the New York State Society of Professional Engineers, and the Distinguished Secondary School Teaching Award from Harvard University.

Scope and Contents

Correspondence, lectures, notes, and publications document George Lenchner’s career as a teacher and administrator in the Valley Stream Central School District (1953-1983). The publication process for several of Lenchner’s published works is particularly well documented in drafts and correspondence with his son, David. Correspondence, notes, drafts, and printed materials illuminate Lenchner’s work as founder and later executive officer of Math Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools.

Forms part of the Archives of American Mathematics.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

These papers are stored remotely. Advance notice required for retrieval. Contact repository for retrieval.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

George Lenchner Papers, 1943-2006, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.

Detailed Description of the Papers