By Phil Williams
By Phil Williams
Years ago, John Hollingsworth posed a problem to his class: Two marbles are rolled across a table, one traveling in a straight line and the other one passing through a dip in the table. Which arrives first?
The problem touched off a heated debate, with students arguing various positions. Finally, the group urged an experiment and managed to create the necessary conditions with a desk pad and two ping-pong balls. The students stared in disbelief as the ball passing through the dip beat the straight-line ball every time.
Soon they understood the mathematical explanation, and the students were hooked on the class and mathematics. That's why Hollingsworth has been one of the department's most honored teachers for some three decades now.
"The entire environment of the classroom changed when Dr. Hollingsworth stepped into the room," wrote one former student. "Never have I seen one teacher so concerned with the success of his students in learning the material and grasping the concepts of mathematics. The only thing that I felt was lacking in the class was my ability to live up to the standards and expectations he established."
Hollingsworth earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Mississippi State University and his doctoral degree from Rice University before coming to UGA in 1967 as an assistant professor. He was promoted to associate professor in 1972 and to full professor in 1981, serving as department head from 1992 to 1995.
He has been named an Outstanding Honors Professor three times since coming to UGA. He has won a Special Sandy Beaver teaching award and now holds a Sandy Beaver Teaching Professorship. He has also been granted substantial funding for research by the National Science Foundation and has published numerous papers.
While praise from his colleagues has been constant over the years, the words of students are perhaps the best testimony to his enduring power as a teacher.
"Dr. Hollingsworth is one of the best teachers I ever had," said one student. "He was always available to help after class. He really taught us how to think. I have learned valuable problem-solving skills in this class that I feel I will use the rest of my life. I loved his teaching style and will always remember him as a great role model when I teach."
