Rod Driver
Encyclopedia
Rodney David "Rod" Driver (born 1932) is an American retired professor of mathematics known for research on differential equations and a Democratic
member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives
. Between 1987 and 1995 he represented the towns of Richmond
and Exeter
in district 52. He was reelected on 4 November 2008 and represented the 39th District consisting of parts of Richmond, Exeter, and Charlestown
from 6 January 2009 to 4 January 2011.
and The Blitz
beginning in 1940 but were fortunate in surviving the bombardment and widespread destruction of the city during the war. Shortly after V-E Day in 1945, the Driver family was able to travel to the United States where they established residency in Minneapolis, Minnesota
. After high school, Rod studied at the University of Minnesota
(UM), earning a B.S. in Electrical Engineering
in 1953, and in 1955 he earned his M.S. in Electrical Engineering also at UM. Also in 1955 he and Carole Frandsen were married. Carole and Rod had three children, David, Karen and Bruce, before he completed his Ph.D. in Mathematics
in 1960 at UM. Driver accepted a visiting appointment at the Research Institute for Advanced Studies
in Baltimore, Maryland in 1960 and another at the Army Mathematics Research Center in Madison, Wisconsin
in 1961 before joining the staff at Sandia National Laboratories
in Albuquerque, New Mexico
in 1962.
in 1969 where he served as a mathematics professor until his retirement from academia
in 1998. His mathematical research involved delay differential equation
s and their applications, including the prediction and modeling of the path of ionic particles
in electromagnetic fields
. Driver authored three mathematics books and many dozens of research papers, and he has lectured in Europe as well as across the United States on his mathematical research. His scientific society memberships included the American Mathematical Society
, and the Mathematical Association of America
.
, the American Friends Service Committee
, SEARCH for Justice and Equality in Palestine/Israel, and the Sierra Club
.
Driver's first electoral success was his election as a delegate to the 1986 Rhode Island Constitutional Convention. Driver's major contribution to the convention was a motion for a "neutral re-write" that converted a confusing 19,000-word draft document that included all stricken language from the previous 1843 Constitution and with all of its amendments upon amendments, to an 8,000-word readable constitution that is now in current use.
When the Constitutional Convention ended, Driver was elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives
, where he served from as the representative from District 52 (Richmond and Exeter) from 1987 to 1995. As a representative, he introduced legislation on recycling, water protection, commuter rail service and other environmental concerns. He routinely opposed proposed longer prison sentences for non-violent offenses, and he was a leader in the eventually-successful efforts to ban smoking in schools and to strengthen the law against selling tobacco products to children. And he became a vocal opponent of legalized gambling. Rod wrote the law which banned craps, blackjack, roulette and similar games in Rhode Island – creating a big hurdle for developers who wanted to build a full-fledged gambling casino in the state. In 1993 Driver was appointed to the House Finance Committee.
After leaving the legislature in January 1994, Driver served as the volunteer executive director of the Government Accountability Project for the year 1995, and was active with Operation Clean Government in Rhode Island for several years. In 2000 he ran unsuccessfully as an Independent against James Langevin
for the open Second Congressional District
seat in the U.S. House of Representatives vacated by Robert Weygand
.
Driver was reelected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives on 4 November 2008 and has represented the 39th District consisting of parts of Richmond, Exeter, and Charlestown
since 6 January 2009. During the 2009–2010 session, he served on the House Committee on Judiciary. In June 2010, Representative Driver announced that he would not seek reelection for another term in the 2010 elections.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives
Rhode Island House of Representatives
The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Rhode Island. It is composed of 75 members, elected to two year terms from 75 districts of equal population. The Rhode Island General Assembly does not have...
. Between 1987 and 1995 he represented the towns of Richmond
Richmond, Rhode Island
Richmond is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 7,708 at the 2010 census. The villages of Alton, Arcadia, Carolina, Hope Valley, Kenyon, Shannock, Usquepaug, Woodville, and Wyoming are located in Richmond.-History:The town of Richmond was originally part...
and Exeter
Exeter, Rhode Island
Exeter is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. Exeter extends east from the Connecticut border to the town of North Kingstown. It is bordered to the north by West Greenwich and East Greenwich, and to the south by Hopkinton, Richmond and South Kingstown. Exeter's postal code...
in district 52. He was reelected on 4 November 2008 and represented the 39th District consisting of parts of Richmond, Exeter, and Charlestown
Charlestown, Rhode Island
Charlestown is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 7,827 at the 2010 census.-History:Charlestown is named after King Charles II, and was incorporated in 1738. The area was formerly part of the town of Westerly...
from 6 January 2009 to 4 January 2011.
Education and early career
Rod Driver was born in London, England on 1 July 1932 to William and Marjorie Driver. Rod was a U.S. citizen from birth via his father's citizenship. He and his family lived in London during the Battle of BritainBattle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
and The Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
beginning in 1940 but were fortunate in surviving the bombardment and widespread destruction of the city during the war. Shortly after V-E Day in 1945, the Driver family was able to travel to the United States where they established residency in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
. After high school, Rod studied at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
(UM), earning a B.S. in Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
in 1953, and in 1955 he earned his M.S. in Electrical Engineering also at UM. Also in 1955 he and Carole Frandsen were married. Carole and Rod had three children, David, Karen and Bruce, before he completed his Ph.D. in Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
in 1960 at UM. Driver accepted a visiting appointment at the Research Institute for Advanced Studies
Research Institute for Advanced Studies
The Baltimore-based Research Institute for Advanced Studies , not to be confused with the better-known Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, was among the several centers for research in the mathematical and physical sciences established throughout the United States after World War...
in Baltimore, Maryland in 1960 and another at the Army Mathematics Research Center in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
in 1961 before joining the staff at Sandia National Laboratories
Sandia National Laboratories
The Sandia National Laboratories, managed and operated by the Sandia Corporation , are two major United States Department of Energy research and development national laboratories....
in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
in 1962.
Academic career
Rod Driver joined the faculty the University of Rhode IslandUniversity of Rhode Island
The University of Rhode Island is the principal public research university in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Its main campus is located in Kingston. Additional campuses include the Feinstein Campus in Providence, the Narragansett Bay Campus in Narragansett, and the W. Alton Jones Campus in West...
in 1969 where he served as a mathematics professor until his retirement from academia
Academia
Academia is the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research.-Etymology:The word comes from the akademeia in ancient Greece. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning...
in 1998. His mathematical research involved delay differential equation
Delay differential equation
In mathematics, delay differential equations are a type of differential equation in which the derivative of the unknown function at a certain time is given in terms of the values of the function at previous times....
s and their applications, including the prediction and modeling of the path of ionic particles
Ion
An ion is an atom or molecule in which the total number of electrons is not equal to the total number of protons, giving it a net positive or negative electrical charge. The name was given by physicist Michael Faraday for the substances that allow a current to pass between electrodes in a...
in electromagnetic fields
Classical electromagnetism
Classical electromagnetism is a branch of theoretical physics that studies consequences of the electromagnetic forces between electric charges and currents...
. Driver authored three mathematics books and many dozens of research papers, and he has lectured in Europe as well as across the United States on his mathematical research. His scientific society memberships included the American Mathematical Society
American Mathematical Society
The American Mathematical Society is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, which it does with various publications and conferences as well as annual monetary awards and prizes to mathematicians.The society is one of the...
, and the Mathematical Association of America
Mathematical Association of America
The Mathematical Association of America is a professional society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level. Members include university, college, and high school teachers; graduate and undergraduate students; pure and applied mathematicians; computer scientists;...
.
Politics and public service
Since 1951, Driver devoted much effort toward peace and human rights in Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. He is a member of Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, the American Friends Service Committee
American Friends Service Committee
The American Friends Service Committee is a Religious Society of Friends affiliated organization which works for peace and social justice in the United States and around the world...
, SEARCH for Justice and Equality in Palestine/Israel, and the Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
.
Driver's first electoral success was his election as a delegate to the 1986 Rhode Island Constitutional Convention. Driver's major contribution to the convention was a motion for a "neutral re-write" that converted a confusing 19,000-word draft document that included all stricken language from the previous 1843 Constitution and with all of its amendments upon amendments, to an 8,000-word readable constitution that is now in current use.
When the Constitutional Convention ended, Driver was elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives
Rhode Island House of Representatives
The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Rhode Island. It is composed of 75 members, elected to two year terms from 75 districts of equal population. The Rhode Island General Assembly does not have...
, where he served from as the representative from District 52 (Richmond and Exeter) from 1987 to 1995. As a representative, he introduced legislation on recycling, water protection, commuter rail service and other environmental concerns. He routinely opposed proposed longer prison sentences for non-violent offenses, and he was a leader in the eventually-successful efforts to ban smoking in schools and to strengthen the law against selling tobacco products to children. And he became a vocal opponent of legalized gambling. Rod wrote the law which banned craps, blackjack, roulette and similar games in Rhode Island – creating a big hurdle for developers who wanted to build a full-fledged gambling casino in the state. In 1993 Driver was appointed to the House Finance Committee.
After leaving the legislature in January 1994, Driver served as the volunteer executive director of the Government Accountability Project for the year 1995, and was active with Operation Clean Government in Rhode Island for several years. In 2000 he ran unsuccessfully as an Independent against James Langevin
James Langevin
James R. Langevin is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2001. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life and education:Langevin was born in Providence, Rhode Island...
for the open Second Congressional District
Rhode Island's 2nd congressional district
Rhode Island's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in southern and western Rhode Island. The district is currently represented by James Langevin, who has represented the district since January 2001....
seat in the U.S. House of Representatives vacated by Robert Weygand
Robert Weygand
Robert A. "Bob" Weygand was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1997–2001. He was a Democrat from Rhode Island....
.
Driver was reelected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives on 4 November 2008 and has represented the 39th District consisting of parts of Richmond, Exeter, and Charlestown
Charlestown, Rhode Island
Charlestown is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 7,827 at the 2010 census.-History:Charlestown is named after King Charles II, and was incorporated in 1738. The area was formerly part of the town of Westerly...
since 6 January 2009. During the 2009–2010 session, he served on the House Committee on Judiciary. In June 2010, Representative Driver announced that he would not seek reelection for another term in the 2010 elections.
Selected publications
- Driver, R.D. 1962. Existence and stability of solutions of a delay-differential systemDelay differential equationIn mathematics, delay differential equations are a type of differential equation in which the derivative of the unknown function at a certain time is given in terms of the values of the function at previous times....
. Archive for Rational Mechanics and Analysis 10(1):401–426. - Driver, R.D. 1965. Existence and continuous dependence of solutions of a neutral functional-differential equation. Archive for Rational Mechanics and Analysis 19(2):149–166.
- Driver, R.D. and M.J. Norris. 1967. Note on uniqueness for a one-dimensional two-body problem of classical electrodynamicsElectromagnetismElectromagnetism is one of the four fundamental interactions in nature. The other three are the strong interaction, the weak interaction and gravitation...
. Annals of Physics 42(2):347–351. - Driver, R.D. 1977. Ordinary and Delay Differential Equations. Springer Verlag, New York. 501pp. ISBN 0-387-90231-7
- Driver, R.D. 1978. Introduction to Ordinary Differential Equations. Harper and Row, New York. 340pp. ISBN 0-06-041738-2.
- Driver, R.D. 1979. Can the future influence the present? Physical Reviews D 19:1098–1107.
- M.J. Norris and R.D. Driver 1981. A uniqueness theorem for ordinary differential equations. SIAM Journal on Mathematical Analysis 12(2):141–144.
- Driver, R.D. 1984. Why Math? Springer Verlag, New York. 233pp. ISBN 0-387-90973-7
- Driver, R.D., G. Ladas, and P.N. Vlahos. 1992. Asymptotic behavior of a linear delay difference equation. Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society 115(1):106–112.
External links
- Rhode Island House – Representative Rodney D. Driver official RI House website
- Rodney Driver Website