Irving Adler

Irving Adler
Irving Adler at 75
Born	(1913-04-13)13 April 1913 Harlem, New York, United States
Died	22 September 2012(2012-09-22) (aged 99) Bennington, VT, United States
Nationality	American
Occupation	mathematician, writer

Irving Adler (April 27, 1913 – September 22, 2012) was an author,mathematician,scientist, political activist and educator. He was the author of 57 books (some under the pen name Robert Irving) about mathematics, science, and education, and the co-author of 30 more, for both children and adults. His books have been published in 31 countries in 19 different languages. Since his teenage years Adler was involved in social and political activities focused on civil rights, civil liberties, and peace, including his role as a plaintiff in the McCarthy-era case Adler vs. Board of Education that bears his name.

Irving Adler was born in Harlem, in New York City, the third of five children. His parents emigrated to the United States from Galicia, a part of Austria, which today is a part of Poland, with his father coming in 1905 to seek work and his mother following five years later. His father, working first as a house-painter, earned enough money to start a small business selling ice, coal, wood, seltzer, and prohibition beer (less than 1/2 of 1% alcohol). Adler was given the Hebrew name Yitzchak, anglicized on his birth certificate as Isaac. His name was changed to Irving by a school clerk when he was enrolled in elementary school. Adler was accelerated in school five times, entering Townsend Harris High School at age eleven and beginning City College (CCNY) when he was fourteen. During his junior year he was awarded the Belden Gold Medal for excellence in mathematics and a Silver Medal for ranking second in the college. Adler graduated magna cum laude from CCNY in 1931, when he was 18.