Subhash C. Saxena

Dr. Subhash C. Saxena, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Coastal Carolina University, passed away on Friday, December 5, 2025, after complications from hip replacement surgery, battling pulmonary fibrosis for 12+ years, and overcoming COVID in 2021.

He was predeceased by his parents, his wife Pushpa, his younger brother Harish, and his son-in-law Michael Ginski. He is survived by his daughter Anita and his son Anil.

He was born in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh to Prem N. Saxena and Hansmukh Kudsia. His family relocated to New Delhi, where he spent much of his childhood and cultivated his love of Mathematics. He attended the University of Delhi, where he earned his B.A. (with Honors), M.A., and Ph.D. degrees, all in Mathematics. He taught at the National Defense Academy before his traditional arranged marriage to Pushpa R. Saxena in 1959. That same year, he received an offer to teach at Atlanta University, so he decided to make the life-changing move to immigrate to the USA. His wife, daughter, and brother eventually joined him in Atlanta, and he became a naturalized citizen in 1966.

He taught at Atlanta University (now known as Clark Atlanta University), Northern Illinois University, and the University of Akron, before accepting a visiting professor position at Coastal Carolina College in 1973, which was then a branch of the University of South Carolina system, and had just transitioned into a 4-year college.  After spending almost 10 years in the Midwest enduring cold and blustery weather, both he and his family welcomed the pleasant atmosphere of the Myrtle Beach area. He was promoted to a full professor (tenure) in 1977 and was Chair of the Mathematics Department from 1987 to 1993. He retired from Coastal Carolina University in 2000.

He published two books: “Theory of functions of Real Variables” (1972), which he co-authored with the late S.M. Shah, and “College Geometry: A New Paradigm” (2010). He also published several papers and made numerous presentations over the years at the various conferences that he attended, as a member of the American Mathematical Society (AMS), the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), and other organizations. One of the more memorable conferences that he attended was a significant moment in mathematics history, at a joint AMS-MAA meeting in Toronto in the summer of 1976, when a proof was presented for the famous Four Color Map Theorem. More recently, he was thrilled when CCU hosted a regional MAA conference in 2023.

In 1985, he won the Outstanding Teacher award at Coastal, which was still part of the USC system. As a result, he competed for the system-wide award and won the Amoco Foundation Distinguished Teaching Award for the entire USC system. He helped establish the CCU chapter of Pi Mu Epsilon, which is the honorary national mathematics society. In the late 1970’s he helped start the annual high school Mathematics Contest that now bears his name. Through other endowments, he also has a Scholarship in his name, and the Mathematics Department is named after him. He especially enjoyed attending various events and functions at CCU over the years.

He was a constant advocate for improving the quality of Mathematics Education in Horry County and beyond. He has received several grants and fellowships, including National Science Foundation (NSF) grants. He was an Exchange Research Professor at USC-Columbia in the summer of 1980, a Visiting Research Scientist at the Indian Institute of Technology (New Delhi) in 1981-82, and a Rotary International Teaching Fellow in 2002-03 at Ansal University. He was a member of the Rotary Club since 2010 and did community service both here and in India. Some of his hobbies included playing bridge, poker, online trivia, and watching educational TV shows like “Big Bang Theory” and “Jeopardy!”

The family requests that any donations be made to either the American Lung Association, or New Directions of Horry County.

Friends are invited to attend a Celebration of Life Service beginning at 3:30 PM, Sunday, December 21, 2025  at McMillan-Small Funeral Home.  

The family will beginning receiving friends at 2:00 PM prior to the service.

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