Adding It Up: The Extraordinary Loyalty of Bruce Reznick
The Caltech alum and mathematician has a remarkable track record as a university professor and a generous supporter of his alma mater.
Bruce Reznick (BS '73) has a lot of great stories to share. He's "really not much of a beer drinker" whose likeness was featured on a brut-style IPA; a member of a Caltech team that won the prestigious William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition—twice; a professor and mentor who recently retired from a four-decade teaching career; and an alum who has given to the Caltech Fund each year since the mid-1970s.
Discovering a Lifelong Passion
When Reznick came to Caltech in 1969 from University High School in West Los Angeles, he was just 16 years old. "But I looked like I was 12," he says. Nonetheless, he dove into his studies with focus and energy. "I was even excited about the homework," he says, "especially the math homework, to see what fun stuff would be on it."
Pretty soon, Reznick was thriving not only in the classroom, but also in co-curricular activities such as CinemaTech, a student-run film club. He rounded out his education with as many humanities and social sciences courses as he could take. The class that had the greatest influence on him, he recalls, was an anthropology course with Thayer "Ted" Scudder. "I was becoming very interested in the question, ‘What do other people do?'" Reznick says. "In other words, ‘What's it like for other people?'"
Becoming a teaching assistant (TA) in calculus during his senior year gave Reznick his first taste of what would become his lifelong passion. "I discovered that I really liked being a TA," he says. "What could be better than talking about something that you love and want people to understand?"
Longevity in Teaching and Giving
For 44 years, Reznick taught at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he enjoyed mentoring a diverse group of 15 graduate students—and counting—pursuing their PhDs. In 2009, he was honored with the university's Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
For each of those 44 years, he also contributed to the Caltech Fund, which provides financial resources for students and faculty in and out of the classroom.
"It was instilled in me by my parents early on that it is important to give to causes you believe in," Reznick says. "Caltech, in many ways, is part of my identity now."
His advice to recent alumni who are curious about giving and where to start? "I would say that whatever you can afford is worth it. It establishes a pattern of giving and is a marker of your support."
Staying Engaged
An accomplished mathematician noted for his research in computational real algebraic geometry and combinatorial number theory, Reznick was invited back to campus in the early 2000s to present a seminar in applied math. Sitting in the audience were three professors—Tom Apostol, John Todd, and Wim Luxemburg—he had studied with 30 years prior. "It was very gratifying to be able to talk to them," Reznick says, "and show them that I was actually a practicing mathematician."
Reznick remains engaged at Caltech by keeping in touch with fellow alumni and attending reunions when he can, including the 2023 Alumni Weekend, where he reconnected with fellow Blacker House alums.
And that brut-style IPA? It's a beer called Champagne Problems. The label shows Reznick in front of a chalkboard depicting Eberhard Becker's thorny math problem of the same name, for which Reznick proved a partial solution. It's one small anecdote in a long list of stories from a lifelong scholar.
If you see Bruce Reznick at the next reunion, do yourself a favor and say hello. The conversation is sure to be engaging.