On June 13th, 2013, Dr. Coke Reed gave the keynote address at the 16th Annual Legacy of R.L. Moore-IBL Conference, sponsored by the Educational Advancement Foundation (EAF). His talk entitled “Mathematical Heroes: The Journey of Independent Thinkers and the Computer as a Mathematical Object”, highlighted the story of computational history through the path of brave persons doing independent, original research. Using the historical gallery and timeline at the Moore House offices as his base, Dr. Reed traced the evolution of inquiry based mathematics from Socrates of Athens to Seymour Cray. He concluded his discussion with an eye towards the future, emphasizing the importance of continuing education and the tradition of Drs. Moore and Wall.
Following his talk, Dr. Reed and the Data Vortex team hosted friends and colleagues at the Moore House for a dedication of the William S. Mahavier Conference Room. Dr. Mahavier received his PhD from The University of Texas at Austin under the supervision of Dr. R.L. Moore in 1957. Throughout his life, he remained committed to Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) and passed this passion to his own children as well as countless undergraduate and numerous graduate students. He was a close friend of Dr. Reed, Mr. Harry Lucas, and many of the other mathematicians involved with both the Data Vortex effort and the Moore Method. Dr. Mahavier’s wife, children and grandson attended the event which included dedication speeches by fellow Moore students and mathematicians Dr. John Neuberger and Dr. Gordon Johnson.