Starting as early as middle school, math is often a class many young pupils see as a necessary evil, but for University graduate William E. Pfaffenberger, math has been a pursuit and an enjoyment.
Pfaffenberger attended the University for seven years, completing both his undergraduate and graduate studies. After earning his Ph.D. in math, Pfaffenberger became a professor at the University of Victoria in Canada where he has taught for the past 35 years.
Pfaffenberger began his studies at the University in 1962. He chose Eugene for college when his parents moved to the city the summer he entered college.
“I grew up in California,” Pfaffenberger said. “Then my parents moved to Eugene and it was just the natural choice for me to do my undergraduate studies there.”
When Pfaffenberger entered the University, he was a chemistry major but was “recruited” to math from a professor who noticed Pfaffenberger seemed more suited to his math studies.
“A famous Canadian mathematician, Ivan Niven, was a professor and recruited me to math,” Pfaffenberger said. “He picked up that I was more interested in math. He was an active faculty member and convinced me to enter the math department.”
Pfaffenberger chose to continue his studies at the University because he liked that GTFs taught first-
year courses.
“The connection between teaching and research was natural, and I went to the University because it combined the two,” he said.
Pfaffenberger was a dedicated student but remembers the tumultuous years on campus during the Vietnam War.
“There was one sit-in connected with the war,” Pfaffenberger said. “Students took over the administrative building, but instead of causing a big fight, administrators just waited until the students got sick of being there and left.”
Pfaffenberger also enjoyed football games as a diversion from
his studies.
“I was in offices and studying a lot,” Pfaffenberger said. “But I enjoyed the football games and became, and still remain, a fan.”
One of his professors, Kenneth Ross, remembers Pfaffenberger as a good student.
“He still sticks out in my mind,” Ross said. “I visited him in the ’80s in Victoria and he is still young at heart.”
Pfaffenberger recommends that new students thoroughly research their prospective schools and the various programs offered.
“Get on the Internet,” Pfaffenberger said. “Look at not just the university, but also the small programs offered. Talk to faculty, look at different connections. Students will be surprised at all of the different opportunities out there.”

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