Sunday, June 7, 2009

Aurelio Baldor


Aurelio Baldor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aurelio Baldor (born October 22, 1906, Havana, Cuba – died April 2, 1978, Miami) was a Cuban mathematician, educator and lawyer.[1] Baldor is the author of a secondary school algebra textbook, titled Algebra de Baldor, used throughout the Spanish-speaking world and published for the first time in 1941.
He was the youngest child of Daniel and Gertrudis Baldor, and the meaning of his last name is "valley of gold". He was the founder and director of the prestigious Baldor School in the exclusive Vedado section of Havana. In its heyday, the school had 3,500 students and used 23 buses to provide transportation to its students. In 1959, with the arrival of Fidel Castro's communist regime, Aurelio Baldor and his family began experiencing some problems. Raúl Castro had intended to arrest Baldor, but Camilo Cienfuegos--one of Fidel Castro's own top commanders--prevented the arrest, as he highly admired and respected Baldor for his accomplishments as an educator.
After the sudden and mysterious death of Camilo Cienfuegos approximately one month later in an airplane which disappeared over the sea, Baldor and his family left Cuba and were exiled in Mexico for a short time, and then they migrated to New Orleans, Louisiana. Afterward, they moved on to New York (Brooklyn) and New Jersey, where Baldor continued teaching at Saint Peter's College in Jersey City.
He spent much time writing mathematical theorems and exercises. Once a tall and imposing man weighing some 220 lbs., Baldor slowly began losing weight as his health declined. He had been a heavy smoker all his life; as a result, he finally succumbed to pulmonary emphysema in Miami, FL, on April 2, 1978. His seven children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren still reside in Miami.
Baldor's algebra textbook continues being used to this day in secondary schools throughout Latin America.
[edit]References

^ Aurelio Baldor, pedagogo cubano

Aurelio Baldor
(Redirigido desde Aurelio Angel Baldor)
Aurelio Baldor (La Habana, 22 de octubre de 1906 - (†)Miami, Estados Unidos, 2 de abril de 1978) fue un matemático y abogado cubano. Fue autor del célebre libro de texto Álgebra de Baldor, publicado por primera vez en 1941.
Fue el hijo menor de Gertrudis y Daniel Baldor y portador de un apellido que significa "valle de oro". Fundó un colegio en Cuba con su nombre, pero en 1959 Baldor tuvo problemas con el nuevo gobierno cubano que resultó de la Revolución. A pesar de los planes de Raúl Castro de detenerlo, el jefe revolucionario Camilo Cienfuegos lo protegió debido a su admiración por Baldor.
Tras la muerte de Cienfuegos en 1960, Baldor y su familia se fueron a México y luego a Nueva Orléans, Estados Unidos. Después se trasladaría a Nueva York y a Nueva Jersey, donde continuó dando clases en el Saint Peters College. Se pasaba su vida escribiendo teoremas y ejercicios matemáticos y poco a poco fue perdiendo los 100 kilos de peso que también lo hacían memorable. Finalmente, Baldor murió en Miami en 1978 donde hoy viven sus hijos y nietos.
El Álgebra de Baldor tenía en su portada tradicional una imagen supuestamente del matemático árabe Al Juarismi, razón por la cual algunos pensaban que el autor era árabe.
El libro sigue siendo utilizado como texto de enseñanza secundaria y preparatoria en toda hispanoamérica.

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