Obituary: Samuel Holland, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics

Samuel Holland
Samuel Holland

Samuel S. Holland Jr., 90, of Eastham, professor emeritus of mathematics, died Oct. 13.

Born June 29, 1928 in Methuen, he received his bachelor’s degree from MIT; his master’s in mathematics from the University of Chicago; and his doctorate in mathematics from Harvard University. He was a veteran of the Korean War, having served as part of Operation Teapot, the s Army’s atmospheric nuclear test program.

For several years, he worked as an industrial mathematician for Technical Operations (Tech/Ops), then enjoyed a long academic career, including six years at Boston College and 30 years at the UMass Amherst department of mathematics, which he joined in 1967. Upon his retirement in 1997, he moved to Cape Cod.

While at UMass, he received the Distinguished Teaching Award and wrote numerous scholarly journal articles and the groundbreaking book, “Applied Analysis by the Hilbert Space Method.” In keeping with his passion for improving mathematics education, the book was meant to convey traditionally advanced mathematics concepts to undergraduate students. It was this same passion that in his retirement led him to write an extensive proposal to the National Science Foundation on how to attract more Ph.D. mathematicians to public high school teaching.

He was predeceased by his wife of 56 years, Mary (Ricciardone) Holland. He is survived by four children: Philip Holland and wife Jessica of Lexington; Margaret Dondiego and husband Michael of Worthington; John Holland and wife Ondine of Nice, France; and Carolyn Holland of Belmont.