W. Jack Cunningham, Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering, ended his earthly journey January 7, 2004. "Everything I ever heard him say, whether in faculty meetings or informal discussion, was courteous, well-informed and just plain good sense….Jack was a wonderfully caring, gentle man….Jack was certainly an extraordinary role model for anyone who strives to be a great teacher, and his death is an irreparable loss for all of us" say his colleagues.

From 1946 to 1988, tall, slow-talking, Texas-born Prof. W. Jack Cunningham taught wave upon wave of students about ordinary and partial differential and nonlinear differential equations. His specialty was the mathematical analysis of engineering, and his areas of research included systems theory, nonlinear analysis, computation, and acoustics. 

All who knew Prof. Cunningham remember fondly the twinkle in his eye, his ready laugh, his helpful critiques, and his generous words of appreciation and encouragement.

He published scientific papers, wrote a textbook on nonlinear analysis (translated and published in France and Poland), chaired the Department of Electrical Engineering, served as the Director of Undergraduate Studies, the Director of Graduate Studies, and on numerous University boards and committees (Economic Status of the Faculty, Joint Boards of Permanent Officers, etc.).

He loved Yale and partook with pleasure of its many riches, including as fellow of Trumbull College. He was Engineering's institutional memory and, upon retiring, wrote a 1932-1982 history of Engineering at Yale, published in 1992. His last gift to the Yale community was a self-guided tour of Engineering greats resting in the Grove Street Cemetery. Illness prevented him from taping the scripts, but he will be our guide through the scripts that he left for us, www.grovestreetcemetery.org/self_guided_grove_street_cemetery_tours.htm

Prof. Cunningham extended his well-informed generosity beyond Yale. He served on the Connecticut Commission on Higher Education, judged at Connecticut high school science fairs, served on or chaired the editorial boards of the Journal of the Franklin Institute, American Scientist, and Sigma Xi publications, gave talks to young people at the Eli Whitney Museum and, when he and his wife moved to a retirement community, in no time was an officer of the Residents' Council. 

W. Jack Cunningham was born on August 21, 1917, in Comanche, Texas, received his A.B. and A.M. degrees from the University of Texas and an M.S. and Ph.D. from Harvard. During World War II, he helped train military officers in radar theory. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Barbara Cunningham, and sons Lawrence of New Haven and John of New York City.

A Memorial service was held Friday, January 16, at 2:00 pm in the Church of The Redeemer, 185 Cold Spring Street, New Haven, where he had been a trustee.