Person: Rátz, Lászlo
László Rátz was a Hungarian mathematics high school teacher best known for educating such people as John von Neumann and Eugene Wigner.
Mathematical Profile (Excerpt):
- Lászlo Rátz was given the name Ladislaus Wilhelm Rátz when he was born, since Sopron belonged to a German speaking area, but he chose to use the Hungarian version of his name.
- Both Rátz's primary and secondary schooling was in Sopron.
- The director of the school at this time was Leo Salamin (1832-1902) who, for five years, taught Rátz the French language.
- Rátz studied at this school until 1880 when he moved to the Sopron Lutheran Lyceum for the final two years of his secondary education.
- He gave all his students, and certainly he gave Rátz, an excellent grounding to begin university studies.
- Rátz entered the Budapest University of Arts and Sciences (today named Eötvös Loránd University) in 1883 and he studied there until 1887.
- On 28 November 1890, Rátz received a university diploma in mathematics and physics, three months after he had taken up his appointment as a substitute teacher at the Budapest Fasor Lutheran Gymnasium on 1 September.
- It was situated in what is today known as Deák Square but, long before Rátz began teaching there, it had moved in 1864 to a location in Sütö Street.
- Rátz was made director of the Fasor Lutheran Gymnasium in 1909 and continued in this capacity for five years.
- All were taught mathematics by Rátz.
- But the greatest was my mathematics teacher László Rátz.
- Rátz was known not only throughout our gymnasium but also by the church and government hierarchy and among many of the teachers in the country schools.
- Many gymnasium teachers had great skill, but no one could evoke the beauty of the subject like Rátz.
- Rátz cared deeply about mathematics as a discipline.
- At the retirement of Imre Gobi, the gymnasium director, the staff named Rátz as his successor.
- That gave Rátz a formal title and likely a higher salary.
- This is very fine.' But Rátz worried that his new duties would hurt his teaching.
- And after five years of distinguished service as director, Rátz quietly resigned as director and became just a teacher again.
- Rátz felt so privileged to tutor a phenomenon like Neumann Jancsi that he refused any money for it.
- Rátz felt so privileged to tutor a phenomenon like Neumann Jancsi that he refused any money for it.
- Rátz was just as nice to me and nearly as devoted as he was to Neumann.
- Rátz was the only gymnasium teacher to invite me into his home.
- Rátz also compiled for his students a book of common sense mathematical problems.
- Not only did Rátz excel as a mathematics teacher but he was also active in his efforts to reform the teaching of mathematics throughout all Hungarian schools.
- It was not only teaching in Budapest that was influenced by Rátz for, in session 1907-08, the Budapest Lutheran Gymnasium sent materials used in the teaching of mathematics in the school to London, England, to form part of the cultural section of an exhibition there.
- After Rátz retired in 1925 he was made an honorary director of the Lutheran Gymnasium.
Born 9 April 1863, Sopron, Hungary. Died 30 September 1930, Budapest, Hungary.
View full biography at MacTutor
Tags relevant for this person:
Origin Hungary
Thank you to the contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0! 
- Github:
-
- non-Github:
- @J-J-O'Connor
- @E-F-Robertson
References
Adapted from other CC BY-SA 4.0 Sources:
- O’Connor, John J; Robertson, Edmund F: MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive
