A Trio of Memories

by Linda Jones Nichols, Class of 1982

I remember working on programming projects in the Computer Center into the early morning hours. The punch cards had been submitted hours ago and the run was finally complete. But it could not be! A typo! A comma instead of a period! Make a new punch card; re-submit; and wait another few hours for the deck to compile and run again!

I loved the architecture classes with Jeh Johnson. His sense of humor, encouragement, and excellent teaching live on!

I remember struggling as a Math major. Talking with my advisor, Professor John Feroe, I was seriously considering changing my major. He simply told me that the math program at Vassar was theoretical math. He suggested that I might be more interested in applied math. That conversation changed my life.  I continued as a theoretical math major, but went on to complete a MS and Doctor of Science in Operations Research (applied math and statistics). This has become my profession and I truly enjoy it.