About Dr. Laurence Boxer

The name "Boxer"

What's a Russian-Jewish guy doing with a name like Boxer?  Is he a lover of dogs, pugilism, cardboard containers, or December 26?  Nah! (Well, actually, I am a fan of December 26, but for reasons having nothing to do with Boxing Day - rather, it's my daughter's birthday.)

My family name refers to carob.  In Yiddish, carob is known as bokser, a corruption of buch's horn (buck's horn), the latter for the shape of the fruit. (Carob is also known as "breadfruit" or "St. John's bread."  Someone once told me if I wanted my name to be more recognizably Jewish, I should change it to something with a more recognizable connection to Israel, such as "St. John"!!!)

The carob is a symbol of endurance and survival, because if you keep it dry, it lasts a long time.  At the Yad VaShem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, the Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations is lined with carob trees, in tribute to Gentiles who helps Jews survive the Nazi era.

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Education

B.S. with Honors in Mathematics, University of Michigan, May 1970
A.M. in Mathematics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, August 197l
Ph.D. in Mathematics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, May 1976 
    Thesis:  The Space of Absolute Neighborhood Retracts
             of a Closed Surface
    Advisor:  Mary-Elizabeth Hamstrom
Certificate in Computer and Information Sciences, Niagara University, May 1985
MS in Computer Science, SUNY at Buffalo, September 1987 
    Thesis:  Parallel Dynamic Computational Geometry
    Advisor:  Russ Miller
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Experience

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Personal Stuff

Born and grew up in Detroit, Michigan
Married Linda Gail Seligman,
1970

Our daughter, Robin Waldman, is an archivist at the National Archives facility at College Park, Md. She previously held positions as archivist, librarian, and collections specialist at the Jewish Museum of Maryland.

Robin graduated from Syracuse University (class of '01) with a Master's in Museum Studies and a Master's in Art History.  She held fellowships from both departments during her graduate studies.

Robin graduated from SUNY at Albany (class of '98), with a double major in Art History and English. At Albany, Robin was

Presidential Scholar (honors program)
member of the Golden Key honorary society
Cum Laude

Robin's husband, Mark Waldman, is a graduate of SUNY - Buffalo (Political Science, class of '96). After several years of working for the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism in the dual roles of Director of Public Policy and Executive Director of the Seaboard Region, Mark is now the National Director of Synagogue Initiative for AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Mark has both an MA and an MBA (class of '07) in nonprofit management from the University of Maryland. 

Robin's and Mark's wedding

Our son, Matthew, is a PhD student in Sociology (he has been supported by a fellowship and a teaching assistantship) at the University of Wisconsin, where he received a Master's degree in Sociology (class of '05).  He is a research associate at the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University.

Matt received a Master's degree from Brandeis University (class of '02), in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies. Matt held a fellowship during his Brandeis studies.

Matt graduated from SUNY at Albany (class of '00) with a double-major in Judaic Studies and Sociology, and the following honors:

Presidential Scholar
member of the Golden Key honorary society
member of Phi Beta Kappa
Bnai Zion - Brith Abraham Award for Excellence in Hebrew Studies
member of Alpha Kappa Delta (international sociology honor society)
Kappa Beta Memorial Scholarship for graduate study
Presidential Award for Undergraduate Research
Summa Cum Laude
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Memberships and Affiliations

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