Alfred Brousseau
Encyclopedia
Brother Alfred Brousseau, FSC (February 17, 1907–May 31, 1988) was an educator, photographer and mathematician
and was known mostly as a founder of the Fibonacci Association
and as an educator.
, San Francisco as one of six children. On August 14, 1920 Brousseau entered the Juniorate of the De La Salle Christian Brothers (Fratres Scholarum Christianarum), a religious order of teachers in the Roman Catholic Church. He was accepted into the Christian Brothers Novitiate in 1923 and advanced to the Scholasticate on the campus of St. Mary's College
in Moraga, California
in 1924.
in San Francisco, CA. He continued teaching at the secondary level until 1930 when he was assigned to teach at St. Mary's College while subsequently pursuing a doctorate
in Physics
from the University of California
, Berkeley in 1937. In 1941 Brousseau was appointed Principal of Sacred Heart High School in San Francisco, and later was appointed Provincial of the Christian Brothers of the District of California. He returned to St. Mary's College in 1959 and became Chair of the School of Science. Between this period and 1978, Alfred served both President and Treasurer of the Northern Section of the California Mathematics Council and later as President of the entire State Council.
In 1963, with the American
mathematician
Verner E. Hoggatt, Brousseau founded the Fibonacci Association
with the intention of promoting research into the Fibonacci Numbers and related fields. In 1969 Brousseau commented on the Fibonacci Association (and its associated journal, the Fibonacci Quarterly
) in the April edition of Time Magazine, "We got a group of people together in 1963, and just like a bunch of nuts, we started a mathematics magazine...[People] tend to find an esthetic satisfaction in it. They think that there's some kind of mystical connection between these numbers and the universe."
transparencies recording the native flora
of California
.
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
and was known mostly as a founder of the Fibonacci Association
The Fibonacci Association
The Fibonacci Association is a mathematical organization that specializes in the Fibonacci number sequence and a wide variety of related subjects, generalizations, and applications, including recurrence relations, combinatorial identities, binomial coefficients, prime numbers, pseudoprimes,...
and as an educator.
Biography
Brousseau was born in North BeachNorth Beach, San Francisco, California
North Beach is a neighborhood in the northeast of San Francisco adjacent to Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf and Russian Hill. The neighborhood is San Francisco's Little Italy, and has historically been home to a large Italian American population. It still holds many Italian restaurants today, though...
, San Francisco as one of six children. On August 14, 1920 Brousseau entered the Juniorate of the De La Salle Christian Brothers (Fratres Scholarum Christianarum), a religious order of teachers in the Roman Catholic Church. He was accepted into the Christian Brothers Novitiate in 1923 and advanced to the Scholasticate on the campus of St. Mary's College
Saint Mary's College of California
Saint Mary's College of California is a private, coeducational college located in Moraga, California, United States, a small suburban community about east of Oakland and 20 miles east of San Francisco. It has a 420-acre campus in the Moraga hills. It is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church...
in Moraga, California
Moraga, California
Moraga is a suburban incorporated town located in Contra Costa County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is named in honor of Joaquin Moraga, whose grandfather was José Joaquin Moraga, second in command to Juan Bautista de Anza...
in 1924.
Academic career
In 1926, while still a college student, Brousseau began teaching at Sacred Heart High SchoolSacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory
Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, commonly known as SH, SHC, or SHCP is a Catholic school located in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Founded in 1852, Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory is the oldest Catholic secondary school in San Francisco...
in San Francisco, CA. He continued teaching at the secondary level until 1930 when he was assigned to teach at St. Mary's College while subsequently pursuing a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
from the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
, Berkeley in 1937. In 1941 Brousseau was appointed Principal of Sacred Heart High School in San Francisco, and later was appointed Provincial of the Christian Brothers of the District of California. He returned to St. Mary's College in 1959 and became Chair of the School of Science. Between this period and 1978, Alfred served both President and Treasurer of the Northern Section of the California Mathematics Council and later as President of the entire State Council.
In 1963, with the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
Verner E. Hoggatt, Brousseau founded the Fibonacci Association
The Fibonacci Association
The Fibonacci Association is a mathematical organization that specializes in the Fibonacci number sequence and a wide variety of related subjects, generalizations, and applications, including recurrence relations, combinatorial identities, binomial coefficients, prime numbers, pseudoprimes,...
with the intention of promoting research into the Fibonacci Numbers and related fields. In 1969 Brousseau commented on the Fibonacci Association (and its associated journal, the Fibonacci Quarterly
Fibonacci Quarterly
As the primary publication of The Fibonacci Association, The Fibonacci Quarterly provides a focus for worldwide interest in the Fibonacci number sequence and related mathematics. Published since 1963, its founding editors were Verner Emil Hoggatt, Jr. and Alfred Brousseau...
) in the April edition of Time Magazine, "We got a group of people together in 1963, and just like a bunch of nuts, we started a mathematics magazine...
Photography
Brousseau was a keen photographer and amassed a collection of in excess of 20,000 color 35mm135 film
The term 135 was introduced by Kodak in 1934 as a designation for cartridge film wide, specifically for still photography. It quickly grew in popularity, surpassing 120 film by the late 1960s to become the most popular photographic film format...
transparencies recording the native flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.