Eleftherios C. "Terry" Zachmanoglou

Eleftherios C. "Terry" Zachmanoglou

Carmel - Eleftherios C. "Terry" Zachmanoglou, 84, of Carmel, IN, peacefully passed away Oct. 12, 2018, in Indianapolis. He had been a professor of mathematics at Purdue University and a resident of West Lafayette, IN, for more than 50 years.

Terry was born in Thessaloniki, Greece, and grew up in Athens during the Italian and German occupations of WW II.

Because of his intelligence, his family sent their 19-year-old youngest child to the U.S. for college. He got his bachelor's and master's in aeronautical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., followed by his doctorate in applied mathematics at University of California, Berkeley.

California's warm weather reminded him of his homeland, so Terry hoped he'd get a job offer out there; instead, Purdue's math department called. After 50 years at Purdue, he joked, "I'm still waiting for an offer from California."

Within three years of joining Purdue, he became a Fulbright Scholar and spent a year at the University of Rome.

The political activism of the '60s suited Terry. As he reminded people, "I come from the land that invented democracy." He helped form the Purdue Student Peace Union during the Vietnam War and served as its faculty adviser. He also sported a well-known goatee, making him the first prof on campus to have a beard.

His work initially focused on research, and he co-wrote the textbook, "Introduction to Partial Differential Equations with Applications." It has been used at many universities in the U.S. and other countries.

While he was associate head of the math department from 1981-93, he made a primary focus to enhance the quality of undergraduate teaching. In 2003-04, he received the Ruth and Joel Spira Excellence in Teaching Mathematics Award as the outstanding calculus lecturer, chosen by School of Science undergrads. And twice, undergrad majors in the school voted him one of its top 10 teachers.

He retired in May 2014, becoming a professor emeritus.

Terry was a longtime supporter of Planned Parenthood, loved the Beatles, art and classical music. He took up playing the recorder in the '60s, eventually collecting about 15 of them. He was an inveterate newspaper reader, especially of The New York Times.

At home, he and his wife, Lynne, loved gardening; long visits in Greece; and exploring the Indiana countryside.

Terry was preceded in death by his parents, Charalambos and Katina; his brother, Theodore; and his stepdaughter, Faye.

Survivors include Lynne; his children, Katina (Bill), Nike, Cary and Chloe; his stepson, Nathan; sister, Zoe; granddaughters Kalin and Coco; and his extended family in Greece and Indiana.

Terry's wishes were to be cremated and his remains returned to Greece. Memorial contributions may be made to Joy's House, which provides adult day care and caregiver services in Indianapolis, or American Alzheimer's Association.