The license plate on John Del Grande’s Corvette spoke volumes about his life: MATH4U.
John grew up and went to school in Toronto, but his teaching career took him to Kitchener-Waterloo C.I., St. Andrew’s College in Aurora, Newmarket H.S. and O.I.S.E. He was also coordinator of mathematics for the North York Board of Education. His dedication to mathematics reaches into thousands of classrooms through the many textbooks he wrote or edited.
Growing up in Toronto, John remembered teachers who were lifelong role models for him. John, himself, was recognized as just such a role model, through a number of awards. Besides the Descartes Medal, John was the first medallist, and only Canadian recipient, of the Gilbert Medal from the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics. In 2001, an annual entrance scholarship to the Faculty of Education at the University of Toronto was named the John Del Grande Award.
John was active in many associations of mathematics professionals, and was a research assistant at the National Research Council and Canadian General Electric.
John found a new place in the classroom after his retirement, earning a PhD in mathematics education.