Distinguished Alumni Dr. George Poole

Dr. George Poole’s adoration for mathematics started decades ago in a traditional place — a high school classroom — where a geometry teacher in Miami opened his teenaged eyes to the scientific study of numbers and gained the confidence he’d carry throughout his career in education.

“He was a superior teacher who I locked into, and in just a few weeks, I became the top student in his class,” Poole said. “From that point on, I said, ‘Oh, I can do mathematics. I can enjoy mathematics.’ That's when I really got my first start. I've been privileged.”

Retired since 2017 as a professor of mathematics at East Tennessee State University (ETSU), Poole’s place among this year’s class of Distinguished Alumni at Emporia State University is rooted in bedrock principles of education: a passion for a given subject and an appreciation for those who teach it. His national expertise as a research mathematician is just as intense.

ESU holds a prominent space in Poole’s life. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the university in 1964, and he served as a mathematics professor and chair of ESU’s math department before moving on to similar roles at Lamar University and ETSU.

Acting on advice he received at Texas Tech University, where he earned his Ph.D., Poole embraced mathematical research. Not only did that advice lead him to focus on multiple mathematical disciplines instead of a single field of study, it provided him widespread recognition for his scientific contributions on topics such as geometry (worm problem of Leo Moser); matrix theory (generalized inverses); and numerical linear Algebra (Rook’s pivoting strategy).

Poole’s career focus pivoted in 2001 when he attended an international conference on the training and preparation of elementary teachers and watched a video that included teachers confessing they were not good at mathematics themselves. He immediately redirected his focus. “I don't know what's going on between kindergarten and sixth-grade mathematics,” he remembers thinking, “but I want to find out. I want to help these teachers overcome their fears and create a classroom environment where their kids are no longer afraid of mathematics…I want them to know that they're in control of mathematics, they're in control of the mathematical world.”

He believes working with elementary teachers represents the highlight of his five-plus decades in higher education. Though retired from ETSU, Poole has remained in the classroom by earning certification as a high school math teacher and accepting teaching positions in South Carolina. His love of mathematics and working with students hasn’t waned.

“It's a challenge, but it's been a joy for me,” he said. “I don't know when I'm going to retire.”