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Martin Gardner
Published: 5/25/2010 12:10 PM
Last Modified: 5/25/2010 12:10 PM




I was the last person Martin Gardner ever expected to see in his life.

"So," he said, as we took seats in his small, bright, book-filled apartment in a Norman assisted living center, "you're from the Tulsa World. Never thought I'd be interviewed by someone from the World. I always thought it was because I once worked for The Tulsa Tribune."

When I told him I was also a Tribune alum – was there on the day the paper printed its final issue, in fact – he seemed pleased. He was equally pleased that I did not use any sort of recording device during the interview, other than a pen and a notepad. He was also a little surprised that the pen I used was a fountain pen.

I had arranged to meet with him in late March. Gardner had recently celebrated his 95th birthday by publishing a new book, "When I Was a Tadpole and You Were a Fish."

It was a collection of new and previously published essays that touched on the subjects Gardner had explored throughout his working life – from the mathematical games that he wrote about for many years for Scientific American magazine to debunking spurious claims of all kinds, from thoughtful and appreciative considerations of certain works of literature to a credo of belief titled "Why I Am Not an Atheist."

The new book was the putative reason for this interview, but it was also a way to pay tribute to one of the most distinctive talents the state of Oklahoma and the city of Tulsa had produced.

It was also, I believe, the last interview Gardner ever gave. He died May 22 in Norman.

Our conversation took place the day after the ninth Gathering for Gardner had concluded in Atlanta, Ga. This event, held every other year, is an invitation-only meeting of scientists, mathematicians, puzzle enthusiasts, all coming together to pay tribute to Gardner and the way he had influenced their lives.

It was something Gardner of which was obviously proud, that someone who described himself simply as "a journalist, a working writer" could have such a wide-ranging influence on so many people.
But Gardner's modesty belies not only his intelligence but his curiosity, and his ability to make the most seemingly arcane things comprehensible to the layman.

People as diverse as Vladimir Nabokov, W.H. Auden, Arthur C. Clarke, Stephen Jay Gould and Carl Sagan were admirers of Martin Gardner. In his Norman apartment was a strikingly life-like portrait of Gardner that an admirer had constructed entirely out of dominos. An asteroid officially bears his name.

As one Gathering for Gardner participant, Ray Hyman, a professor emeritus at the University of Oregon, wrote:

"Martin’s mastery of magic; philosophy of science; recreational mathematics; optical illusions; the literary subtleties of L. Frank Baum, Lewis Carroll, and Arthur Conan Doyle; debunking pseudoscience; theology; and other topics have always impressed me. However, having attended all of the eight Gatherings for Gardner, I have become even more awed with the variety of subjects to which he contributed and for which many disciples credit him for inspiring. It is beyond my comprehension how one individual, without benefit of computers or assistants, can consistently write books, articles, reviews, and commentaries on so many different topics and at the same time maintain continuing correspondence with so many individuals around the world. And just as amazing is that the quality of the content of his writing and correspondence is consistently of the highest caliber."

For me, what first drew me to Gardner was a mutual interest in the work of G.K. Chesterton, in particular the Father Brown detective stories. That led me, in turn, to Gardner's lone novel, "The Flight of Peter Fromm," a fictionalized telling of Gardner's own crisis of faith (he had grown up in the Methodist faith, attending Boston Avenue United Methodist with his family during their years in Tulsa).

It was a story that resonated strongly with me, in large part because I had gone through a similar crisis. I came through that crisis to reach a much different place than did Gardner, but it did instill in me one conclusion that Gardner shared – that there are mysteries in this world that man will never be able to explain.

And, that there are some mysteries that can be – like the magic trick Martin Gardner showed me as our afternoon conversation came to an end. It involves a length of chain and a metal ring, and when he first showed it to me, it was startling to see that ring be suddenly, inexplicably knotted into this chain.

Then, he showed me how the trick was done – and a trick it is, truly a "sleight of hand" thing. When I managed to replicate it, Gardner smiled broadly, nodding with satisfaction at a secret that had been shared.

Read the story: Oklaohma's Man of Letters -- and Numbers




Reader Comments 1 Total
Richard Hart (3 years ago)
A truly great man. For many years, I would receive my monthly Scientific American magazine, and immediately turn to Mr. Gardner's long running column. Though we never met, we shared a love of mathematics and a penchant for magic. I have many of his books in my magic library, where his flights of science and fancy have helped me see the beauty inherent in mathematics.

Goodbye, old friend. You are already missed.
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ARTS

James D. Watts Jr. has lived in Oklahoma for most his life, even though he still has people saying to him, "Don't sound like you're from around these parts." A University of Oklahoma Phi Beta Kappa graduate, Watts has received the Governor Arts Award, Harwelden Award and the National Conference of Christians and Jews Beth Macklin Award for his writing. Before coming to the Tulsa World, Watts worked for the Tulsa Tribune.

Contact him at (918) 581-8478.

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