POTSDAM — SUNY Potsdam will host a special event honoring the legacy of a pioneering faculty member, the late Professor Emeritus Dr. Clarence F. Stephens Sr. (1918-2018), on Thursday, April 20, from 2:30-4 p.m., in the Barrington Student Union Multi-Purpose Room.

The event is designed to celebrate both Black excellence and mathematical excellence, reflecting on the incredible achievements of Dr. Stephens.

The speakers include SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Dr. Laura Person, alumna Adebisi Oje '12, a sales director for data and AI financial services for Microsoft and the CEO/founder of Africode; and Trinity Paquin '23, a BA/MA student in mathematics and secondary education.

Stephens was the ninth African American to have earned a Ph.D. in mathematics, and also served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

He went on to serve on the faculty at first Prairie View A&M University and then Morgan State University.

He was awarded a Ford Fellowship to study at Princeton University's Institute for Advanced Study alongside Dr. Albert Einstein in 1953.

In 1962, he joined SUNY Geneseo's mathematics department as chair, before later accepting a position at SUNY Potsdam in 1969, where he served as professor and chair until his retirement in 1987.