On August 1, 1999, the Mathematical Association of America announced that Professor Jerry Kazdan, of Penn's Mathematics Department, was awarded the 1999 Lester R. Ford Award at the Summer Mathfest in Providence, Rhode Island. Established in 1964, the Lester R. Ford Awards, consisting of a citation and cash prize, are presented by the Mathematical Association of America for articles of expository excellence published in The American Mathematical Monthly.

Professor Kazdan received this prestigious award in recognition for his article, "Solving Equations, an Elegant Legacy" (The American Mathematical Monthly, January 1998). As noted in the citation...

The paper discusses various types of equations: polynomial equations in one and several variables, linear and nonlinear differential equations, diophantine equations, and congruences. The overriding idea is that familiar procedures for solving equations, often viewed as "tricks", can be seen as belonging to broad themes which, in turn, yield new insights on equations. Kazdan's article is an instructive and wide-ranging tour of the mathematician's workshop in important classes of equations.

Professor Kazdan's prize-winning article may be downloaded from his web site.

Professor Jerry Kazdan has been at Penn since 1966, when he arrived from Harvard University as a new Assistant Professor. He has served as Graduate Chairman and Chairman of Penn's Mathematics Department, received a Lindback Award for his distinguished teaching, and published many books and papers on his research in partial differential equations and differential geometry.

Here (thanks to Jerry Porter) is a copy of the relevant part of the meeting program announcing the award: