Walter Zimmerman, a longtime professor at University of the Pacific who helped create its applied mathematics program, died Oct. 17 after battling Parkinson’s disease. He was 86.

Zimmerman taught at Pacific for nearly four decades. He joined Pacific in 1970 to teach in Raymond College, one of the university’s “cluster colleges,” which integrated faculty and students in living and learning communities.

“Dr. Zimmerman was first hired as a physicist for Raymond College," said Professor Emeritus Lee Christianson. "When Raymond College closed, he transferred to the college mathematics department and retrained himself to teach applied mathematics. The physics/mathematics combination was extremely useful for the mathematics department. He helped engineering students obtain minors in mathematics and mentored many students.”

Zimmerman was at the forefront of modernizing mathematics teaching. In the early 1990s, he co-edited “Visualization in Teaching and Learning Mathematics,” a collection of essays arguing that computer graphics, relatively new at the time, would revolutionize how mathematics is taught and bring fundamental changes in the discipline.

Zimmerman was also a charter member of Pacific’s chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society in 2006—the nation’s oldest and most well-known honor society.

During his time at Pacific, he supported students and colleagues, helping them master new concepts.

“Walt was very influential in my early career as a professor,” said Professor Sarah Merz. “Mathematicians will typically teach a lot of calculus with physics applications, even if they have never taken a physics course. This was the case for me. I spent hours in Walt’s office as he patiently explained physics concepts.

“Later, when I became chair of the department, he served again as a crucial mentor. Having someone with whom to share frank conversations about difficult situations was immeasurably valuable. Walt had a strong, positive influence on how I conduct myself as a professor and university community member.”

Outside the classroom, he was quick to lend a hand. Shortly after joining Pacific in 2002, Professor Chris Goff recalls Zimmerman helping him secure a last-minute ride to a car dealership. 

“Soon after I started, I needed a ride to pick up my car from the dealer,” Goff said. “It was 5 p.m. and they closed at 6 p.m. I couldn’t figure out how to get there—this was before Uber. I called Walt. He graciously left his house as he was sitting down to dinner so that he could take me to my get my car before the dealer closed.” 

After retiring from Pacific in 2008, Zimmerman continued teaching summer courses and volunteered with the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, where he provided free counseling to seniors about Medicare and drug benefits. He also served as an active board member in Pacific’s Emeriti Society.

Zimmerman was born in London but immigrated to the United States and grew up in Los Angeles. He graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and earned a PhD in theoretical physics from University of California, Berkeley.

He is survived by his wife Cynthia, his daughter Lara, his son Eric and two grandchildren.

Gifts in his memory can be made by contacting Scott Biedermann ’05, ’20, vice president for development and alumni relations, at 209.946.2166 or sbiedermann@pacific.edu