Some members of the Baylor faculty will be retiring this spring or summer after long service to the University. In this series of blog posts, we asked each new retiree a few questions about their time at Baylor and what they intend to do once they step down from full-time teaching.

Dr. Baxter Johns, a professor of mathematics and the mathematics undergraduate program director, joined the Baylor faculty in 1971. Johns earned a BS in mathematics from Furman University in 1967 and a PhD in mathematics from Vanderbilt University in 1971.

————————

1. What do you consider the hometown where you grew up?

Atlanta, Georgia

2. What brought you to Baylor?

I was finishing my PhD at Vanderbilt when I met Dr. Howard Rolf. He had just been appointed Chair of the Math Department and was visiting Vanderbilt. We talked and he encouraged me to apply to Baylor.

3. What courses, or types of courses, have you concentrated on teaching at Baylor?
Calculus, linear algebra, differential equations and modern algebra.

4. Can you characterize the students you’ve taught while at Baylor? Are there things about your students that especially stand out to you after all these years?

Baylor students are hard-working, courteous and talented, but if you don’t assign plenty of homework you won’t get your “share” of their time.

5. Have you enjoyed teaching at Baylor?

Yes, obviously so, since I’ve stayed 45 years. I enjoy taking a body of mathematics and trying to figure out the best way to help students learn and appreciate the material.

6. Are there examples of research you’ve taken part in while at Baylor that you have had especially significant satisfaction with?

In my early years I did research in ring theory, an area of algebra.

7. Are there any of your Baylor colleagues you have had an especially productive relationship with — and why?

Believe it or not, I’ve enjoyed my relationships with all of my chairs — Howard Rolf, Ed Oxford, Bob Piziak and Lance Littlejohn. Pat and Jim Hickey and Frank Mathis helped me a lot over the years.

8. When you look back on your time at Baylor, what about it will you remember most fondly?

I really appreciate the freedom that Baylor gave me to do what I thought was best for my students and academic area.

9. What are your plans for retirement?

I plan to teach a course next fall and perhaps beyond that. My wife Dena and I will probably travel a little, and I hope to see my two sons more often.

10. Is there anything else about your time at Baylor or your career that you’d like to add?

Yes, I’d like to say that you really don’t appreciate your colleagues until after they retire. I’ve had some lively discussions with both fellow faculty members and administrators over the years, but in looking back I have nothing but respect and admiration for these colleagues from the old days. It’s like seeing the wisdom of your parents when you are no longer young.