[overpaidgoogler]

I met Terry in 2002. I had heard about him when I did the IMO training, but at some point someone said he was in the department so I should talk to him. He showed me some work he was doing related to what happens to the determinants of matrices when you sum then. I remarked on how I was surprised at how "elementary" this work was, and he replied that if math was really that deep, no one would be able to do research. I suspected then that this work was especially elementary and most research math was deeper (and thus more inaccessible for an undergrad), but I appreciated the sentiment.

I wouldn't read to much into how "normal" Terry is portrayed as being. Terry struck me as somewhat nerdy in his demeanor. Certainly not crazy or eccentric (and as the above anecdote suggests, a nice guy) but also different from the average person.

I say this because I feel like when people say "your don't have to be a weirdo to be a great mathematician" this actually denigrates the personality type that is common among most actual mathematicians including Terry.

On the other hand I do feel that all children should be given the opportunity to grow and express themselves in all aspects of their life. It was nice to see the positive and supporting attitude is Terry's parents.

[darkmighty]

Yea it bothers me a little too. Some people will actively put down anything that doesn't conform the norm even down to your gait, as the reporter said, and I find it really hard to accept this.

Mathematics is a matter of mental bandwidth: you're dedicating all your attention to it, save for reserves to your kids and loved ones. Normal jobs don't have this -- with the lack of more interesting things to think about, you can spend your whole day thinking about other people and critiquing their dressing, their gait, the way they talk, etc, which is all part of being "normal" and is a set of really shallow conventions for me.