The 56th Midwestern Graph Theory Conference

Happy 75th, Lowell!

Lowell and Judith

On the occasion of his upcoming 75th Birthday, and on behalf of all of his professional colleagues, friends, and family, the organizers of MIGHTY LVI offer Lowell their best wishes and greetings.

Lowell Wayne Beineke (born November 20, 1939) is Schrey Professor of Mathematics at Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), where he has taught mathematics since 1965. Lowell (BS, 1961, Purdue; MA, 1962 and Ph. D, 1965, University of Michigan) wrote his Ph.D. thesis under the guidance of Frank Harary, who used to call Lowell his perfect student. Lowell has guided Ph.D. theses of four students.

Forbidden subgraphs for line graphs

Lowell is well known for his elegant characterization of line graphs in terms of the nine forbidden induced subgraphs. He has published over 100 articles including those in the areas of line graphs, tournaments, topological graph theory, decompositions and network vulnerability.

He is the author/coauthor of many books including Topics in Structural Graph Theory (2012), Topics in Topological Graph Theory (2009), Topics in Algebraic Graph Theory (2004), Graph Connections: Relationships between Graph Theory and Other Areas of Mathematics (1997), Selected Topics in Graphs Theory 3 (1988), Selected Topics in Graphs Theory 2 (1983), and Selected Topics in Graphs Theory (1979). Next year the next Wilson/Beineke volume, Topics in Chromatic Graph Theory will appear.

Beineke is the 2014 recipient of the prestigious Certificate for Meritorious Service from the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). From the MAA citation: "Dr. Lowell Beineke has been one of Indiana Section's most committed leaders and has always been willing to lead the section and to support other individuals as they work for the section. At the national level, Lowell's service as editor of the College Mathematics Journal has impacted both the MAA and the entire mathematics community. Lowell's hard work maintained the journal's high standards. Lowell has served his department as a superbly effective classroom teacher, receiving the Indiana Section's Distinguished Teaching Award in 1997."

Beineke is the recipient of numerous honors, including being the first person to receive both the Distinguished Teaching and Distinguished Service Awards from the MAA, Indiana Section. He has received both the Outstanding Teaching and Outstanding Research Awards from IPFW, and has been admitted into Purdue University's Book of Great Teachers. IPFW has named two awards after Beineke: the L. W. Beineke Scholarship for undergraduate mathematics majors, and the L. W. Beineke Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Liberal Arts and Sciences, a service award for faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences. The inaugural recipient of the Beineke Award was Beineke himself.

Lowell served as editor of the College Mathematics Journal from 2004 to 2008. He has presented papers and attended workshops in many countries around the world including China, Egypt, Hungary, India, Japan, South Africa, Thailand, U.K. and Zimbabwe. He has three times spent a year as a Visiting Scholar at Wolfson College at Oxford University (UK).