Bryan Dorner
Professor Emeritus Bryan Dorner passed away in May 2024. Beloved by his students and peers alike, Bryan joined the Department of Mathematics in 1980 and retired in 2017. Bryan was a driving force in incorporating technology into the teaching of mathematics at PLU as early as 1990, long before technology use in teaching was commonplace. One of his greatest achievements, colleagues say, was securing a grant that brought in money to build a computer laboratory for use in teaching calculus. Bryan’s interest in ancient mathematics led him to new algorithms for computing sines, cosines, and roots (square roots, cube roots, fourth roots, etc.). He incorporated these investigations into his courses and published scholarly works in his field.
Francesca “Fran” Lane Rasmus
Professor Emeritus and former Director of the Mortvedt Library Francesca “Fran” Lane Rasmus passed away in October 2023. Fran was hired as a professor and resource librarian in 1998 and went on to serve as the chair of the reference department, director of technical services and director of the library. As the 16-year director of the library, Fran provided leadership for Circulation/Building Services, Reference Services, Technical Services, and the University Archives & Special Collections. She collaborated extensively with library faculty and staff, the provost, and many academic programs including global studies, Holocaust and Genocide Studies and Native American and Indigenous studies. In 2003, Fran was honored with a Distinguished Staff and Administrator Award.
Richard “Rick” Spillman
Emeritus Professor Richard “Rick” Spillman passed away in October 2023. Rick taught computer science at PLU for 35 years and will be remembered for his remarkable career as a computer scientist, educator and humanitarian. Rick was hired into the PLU mathematics department in 1981 and taught Computer Science classes with Jim Brink and Larry Edison. He was a founding member of the PLU Department of Computer Science and colleagues say he had a hand in nearly all aspects of its formation. Rick taught nearly every course in the department and designed and taught several special topics classes, including Genetic Algorithms, Computer Security, Cryptology, Artificial Life, Signal Processing, Network Security, Computer Forensics, Alternative Architectures, and more.
