Dr. John Thomas Kemper, a longtime professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of St. Thomas, passed away on Jan. 9, 2026, from complications of Parkinson’s disease.
John spent 35 years of his career at St. Thomas and retired with emeritus status in 2011. He was a demanding yet encouraging teacher and mentor, earning the university’s Professor of the Year award in 2001. He was instrumental in the creation of the Center for Applied Mathematics, a process which started in 1988 and to this day provides students with research opportunities and exposure to applications in mathematics that they would not get in the classroom.
“John left a huge legacy not only on the Department of Mathematics, but across all of St. Thomas,” said current mathematics chair Dr. Magda Stolarska. “He was kind, levelheaded, and generous with his wisdom. He was my official mentor when I was a junior faculty member – and far more than that, he was an inspiration to me and many others. I am profoundly grateful for his mentorship and the mark that he has left on St. Thomas.”
John Kemper will be remembered at a private gathering later in the year. Memorials may be directed to Emily’s List, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, or Friends of the Boundary Waters.
