David Earl Zitarelli

David Earl Zitarelli (August 12, 1941, Chester, Pennsylvania – December 3, 2018) was an American mathematician and historian of mathematics, known for his 2-volume work on the history of mathematics (before 1942) in the United States and Canada.

Biography Zitarelli grew up in Holmes, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. He graduated in 1959 from Ridley High School. At Temple University he graduated in 1963 with a bachelor's degree and in 1965 with a master's degree. He married Anita Paul in 1966. He received his Ph.D. in 1970 from Pennsylvania State University. From 1970 to 2012, David Zitarelli was a faculty member in the mathematics department of Temple University. In 2012 he retired as professor emeritus and he and his wife moved to Minnesota. During his first decade at Temple University, he did research on algebraic semigroups. In 1977 he was promoted to associate professor and gained tenure. Beginning in 1984, he collaborated with Raymond F. Coughlin (who joined Temple University's faculty in 1970) on a dozen textbooks (including multiple editions). Zitarelli later collaborated with David R. Hill (who joined Temple University's faculty in 1973) on the textbook Linear Algebra Labs with MATLAB. During his 42 years at Temple University, Zitarelli won several teaching awards. He wrote a history, covering the years 1926 to 2000) of the Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware Section (EPaDel or EPADEL) of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).

In 2004 Zitarelli began working on his comprehensive history of mathematics in the United States and Canada. He completed the first volume, covering the years from 1492 to 1900, in 2018 and was working hard to complete the second volume, covering the years since 1900, when he died suddenly from a heart attack. The second volume, published in 2021, was completed (up through the year 1941) by Della Dumbaugh and Stephen F. Kennedy, professor emeritus at Carleton College.

When David Zitarelli died in 2018 after 52 years of marriage, he was survived by his widow, a son, a daughter, and four grandchildren.

Selected publications Articles

(See Anna Mullikin.) online text at maa.org

Books 2nd edition 1992 2nd edition 1993 2nd edition 1992