From the Commie Archives: (February 16, 1967; Volume LXIV No. 8) — Yeshiva Students Successful in Putnam Math Competition
Editor's Note: The 86th Annual Putnam Competition will take place this upcoming Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, and a cohort of Yeshiva University students will be taking their own proctored version of the exam on Motzei Shabbat. We wish luck to those participating in the competition as we look back to 1967, when two YC students placed in the top fifty finalists of the very same competition. Considering the difficulty and prestige of the event, this placement is very impressive!
According to Dr. Henry Lisman professor of mathematics, Yeshiva College students placed in the top third of the 1526 students from 251 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada who participated in the Twenty-Seventh Annual William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition. Dr. Lisman was supervisor of the examination at Yeshiva University.
Jacob Gross ‘67 and Melvin Davis ‘68 finished among the top fifty finalists. Gross ranked 32nd in the country and received a letter of commendation, and Davis ranked 46th. David Seff ‘68 and Jeffrey Silver ‘68 finished in the top 500.
While YC placed 84th in the 208 school competition, this figure was arrived at without considering the scores achieved by Messrs. Gross and Davis, as they were not indicated as team members prior to the competition.
The exam consists of twelve problems selected to test the student’s mathematical ingenuity. As it is possible that the students have never seen any problems similar to those on the test, the top students usually display considerable creativity in arriving at their solutions.
Photo Caption: The Commentator Archives
Photo Credit: The Commentator
