December 15, 2008

Photo: One plus one equals fun

Professor Emeritus Paul Federbush delivers a punch line during his comedy routine at the annual Department of Mathematics holiday party in the East Hall atrium. The Dec. 10 event, now in its third decade, also featured musical performances by a variety of math department faculty, staff and students. Math faculty donate funds to a staff recognition fund each year, and the proceeds are distributed to staff as an appreciation of their contribution to the success of the department. This year, each staff person received more than $200. Federbush, a mathematical physicist, began collecting and telling jokes in part after being inspired by comedian Johnny Carson. “I had a persistent fantasy of being like him,” Federbush says. “Johnny could even make a bad joke funny.” Federbush used humor in the classroom to engage students during his 43 years of teaching. (Photo by Scott Soderberg, U-M Photo Services)
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