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Note: Leonard I. Holder, a longtime resident of of Gettysburg, passed away Friday, Sept. 28, 2012 at Holy Spirit Hospital in Camp Hill. He was 88 years old.
Born Nov. 30, 1923 in Fort Worth, Texas, he was the son of the late John William and Bernice Irene Holder. He was married to Jean S. Holder for 63 years. Dr. Holder received his early education in Texas, graduating from Carter Riverside High School in 1941 in Fort Worth as class valedictorian. He received his B.S. degree in 1947 in Aeronautical Engineering and his M.S. in 1951 in Mathematics from Texas A&M. Following a faculty internship as a design engineer with Boeing Aircraft Co., he enrolled in a doctoral program at Purdue University <http://www.legacy.com/memorial-sites/purdue-university/?personid=160218162&affiliateID=1559>, receiving a Ph.D. in Mathematics in 1955. Dr. Holder taught mathematics at the college level for more than 42 years. Prior to coming to Gettysburg, he held faculty positions at Arlington State College, Texas A&M, and San Jose State College. He came to Gettysburg College in 1964 as professor and chairman of the Mathematics Department. He chaired the department for a total of 19 years. In l975, he was chosen by then President Arnold Hanson to serve as Dean of the College. After four years in this post, he returned to his former position with the mathematics department. During the 1960s and early 1970s, Dr. Holder directed four National Science Foundation summer institutes for junior high school mathematics teachers, chosen nationwide. He played an important role in obtaining Gettysburg College's first computer, serving as director of the NSF College Science Improvement Program under which the college purchased the computer. He did postdoctoral research and study on sabbatical leaves at Cambridge University in England and at Harvard University <http://www.legacy.com/memorial-sites/harvard-university/?personid=160218162&affiliateID=1559>. In 1993, he was awarded the Lindbach Award for excellence in teaching. He was a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Tau Beta Pi, and Sigma Xi honor societies. Dr. Holder's area of research was infinite series, and he had several papers published in mathematical journals dealing with this subject. He also authored five college mathematics textbooks, including the widely used "A Primer for Calculus," that went through six editions, and its follow-up, "Calculus with Analytic Geometry." While still residing in Fort Worth, Dr. Holder was elected an elder in the Presbyterian Church. He also served as choir director at churches in Texas and Indiana. He was a long time member of the Gettysburg Presbyterian Church. After his retirement in 1994, he worked as a volunteer in various capacities. He assisted students in mathematics at Gettysburg High School and Middle School for whom English was a second language. He and his wife were Art Information Volunteers at the National Gallery of Art in Washington for many years.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sons, William Leonard Holder of Middletown, Conn. and Stephen Andrew Holder of Eugene, Ore.; three grandchildren; one great grandchild, and a sister, Jessie I. "Peggy" Jones of Richardson, Texas. He was predeceased by one brother, Rear Admiral Billy Douglas Holder; and one sister, Janette Sink. Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012 at 2 p.m. from the Gettysburg Presbyterian Church with Rev. David Wright officiating. Interment will be in the Evergreen Cemetery, Gettysburg. Funeral arrangements are being handled by the Monahan Funeral Home in Gettysburg, online condolences can be made at
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