Scholarship will honor longtime FMU professor

FLORENCE — An endowed scholarship has been established at Francis Marion University in honor of a longtime professor in the department of mathematics, Roger “Bucky” Allen Jr.

The Allen Mathematics Scholarship will be awarded to a South Carolina student majoring in math. The scholarship recipient must have a minimum 3.0 GPA. The members of the Math Department will choose the recipient.

“It is a great feeling to see Bucky’s work honored in this way,” FMU Department of Mathematics Chairman Thomas L. Fitzkee said in a press release issued by the university. “Hopefully, this scholarship will allow his legacy of teaching to continue, enabling the math department to maintain its status as an outstanding program.”

Allen retired in August 2006 after 35 years of dedicated service to the university. Among his many honors are being named Distinguished Professor in 1981 and Mamie C. Gray Professor of Mathematics in 2004. Allen is a member of the honor societies Phi Kappa Phi, Omicron Delta Kappa of Spades at Auburn University and the Raven Society at the University of Virginia and is an original initiate of Kappa Mu Epsilon. He served as faculty secretary of Omicron Delta Kappa since its inception at FMU and as president of Phi Kappa Phi.

Before beginning his teaching career, he graduated with high honors from Auburn University and earned his Master of Arts and doctorate from the University of Virginia. He has since been elected a Danforth Associate for excellence in teaching and commitment to students. He also has made many scholarly presentations at national, regional and state meetings.

As a professor of mathematics, Allen specialized in the calculus series and analysis and probability, but has taught almost every mathematics course offered at FMU, frequently for the Honors program. He is a nationally recognized leader in the Advanced Placement calculus program, having served for 18 years as a reader and table leader at AP calculus readings, and has taught many AP calculus endorsement courses. He has even taught aboard a ship for the U.S. Navy’s PACE program.

Allen was the first non-chairman to serve on FMU’s Academic Council, and together with L.D. Hendrick, reformed promotion and tenure policies in the early years of Francis Marion. He served as chairman the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science from 1986 to 1995 and has served on five SACS visiting committees. He has been elected to a wide spectrum of university committees and to the Faculty Senate, and has served as chairman of the Promotion and Tenure and the Nominating committees.

Allen has been active in the Southeastern Section of the Mathematical Association of America, serving as state director for South Carolina and on the Section Teaching Award and Site Selection committees. He also has been vice president of the South Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics and of the South Carolina Association of Advanced Placement Mathematics Teachers.

“Bucky made a lasting impact on students’ lives. For 35 years, he has been enriching students’ learning experience,” Jay Dowd, executive director of the FMU Foundation and vice president for development, said in the release. “We are grateful to Bucky and the math department for their roles in the establishment and oversight of this scholarship.”

Additional contributions can be made to this fund at any time. Contributions should be made payable to the Francis Marion University Foundation, P.O. Box 100547, Florence, SC 29502-0547.