Dwight Lahr

Lyme, N.H. — Dwight Lahr passed away in Lyme, N.H. on Dec. 26, surrounded by his loving family. The eldest son of Helen and Charles Lahr of Philadelphia, Dwight was exceptionally bright from a young age. Helen made sure he studied hard, securing his admission to the prestigious Central High School where he soaked up knowledge like a thirsty sponge. Dwight nevertheless still found time to get into many a scrape with his younger siblings Trevor and Deidre, although he would stress that he was just keeping them on the straight and narrow.

Dwight attended Temple University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1966. A mathematician, Dwight received an M.A. (1968) from Syracuse University, and completed his Ph.D. (1972) there in just four years. He was immediately recruited by Bell Labs, the legendary think tank of mathematicians and engineers that pioneered the field now called computer science. After several fruitful years there, he decided to enter academia and arrived at Dartmouth College in 1975. As always, he excelled, becoming the first tenured African-American math professor in the Ivy League, and also serving as Associate Dean for the Sciences and Dean of Faculty.

Dwight was a beloved teacher with a knack for communicating complex mathematical concepts to novices and the initiated alike. Although he taught some specialized courses for math majors, he especially enjoyed introducing math to students with no prior interest in the subject. His deep interest in interdisciplinary studies led him to develop and teach a landmark course on Time with his wife Beatriz Pastor.

Dwight never forgot his roots and remained deeply committed to improving inner city public education. Beginning in 1994, he founded and directed CLIPP, a Dartmouth Summer Institute to develop computer literacy for inner city public school teachers. CLIPP also provided computer equipment to their schools.

Dwight is survived by Beatriz; his sister Deidre; his children Katerina, Sonia, Emilio, Maria, Perico, Elena, and Circe; and nine grandchildren. Services will be held at the Lyme Congregational Church on Jan. 15 at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Willing Hands or the Southern Poverty Law Center.

To view an online memorial and or send a message of condolence to the family please visit www.rand-wilson.com.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Rand-Wilson Funeral Home of Hanover, N.H.