With papers to publish and mathematics to teach, Professor Villarino should be in a lockdown. Instead, he’s having a candid conversation with Lenard Lim about how it feels like to be the enigma of the school.

So, give us a short biography of yourself please.

Ok. My name is Mark Villarino. I was borned on the 20th of December, 1940 in Los Angeles, California. I lived my entire life in LA – attending grammar school, high school and eventually UCLA. I also did some graduate work at UCLA.
While I was there, I joined the army and went on active duty for 3 years in Germany. After my military service stint, I came back to the states to finish up my studies. However, as bad luck have it, lets just say, that marriage difficulties interfered with my education.
I left the US for Latin America in 1969. I worked in Colombia for 2 years, before working in Panama, where I became the first ever foreign professor invited to work at the University of Panama. Of course, I did not know this until I went there.
I then found my way to the Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR), and began working there since October 1974. I have been there ever since. In 1993, I was given tenure. I hold a degree in mathematics from UCLA, and also a licenciatura from UCR in 1973.

Which branch of mathematics is your favorite?

I like classical mathematics.

So, tell us, why mathematics?

Well, it is my passion and my love, that’s why!
When I was 15 years old, I was balanced between becoming an astronomer and becoming a mathematician. However, I remember watching my teacher solve a very complicated word problem one day, and it all worked out so beautifully! I then knew that was what I wanted to do, and it was the best decision I ever made in my life

How many years have you been teaching now?

Let me think about that. [Brief pause] Forty.

How many years have you taught in this school?

I have been here fore five years, and this is my sixth.

So, in light of all the transition, what is the main difference now?

Well, the quality of students is definitely much higher. The emphasis on academics is also much higher, although, please help me to stress this, it is not strong enough.

What is your best experience in mathematics?

It depends – first, my best experience as a student was I was one of five students handpicked for a pilot project for gifted students at UCLA. This was when I was in my second semester, and the course which was given was Calculus, which was given over the period of a year.
It was taught by Raymond Redheffer, a man who graduated from MIT when he was either 12 or 14. He is a brilliant, brilliant teacher! It was the most exciting intellectual experience I have ever had. I was tremendously privileged to be in there. It is such a wonderful experience that I try to recreate in my classroom.
As a professional mathematician, I suppose my best experiences are when I have solved problems that I have later published, in peer refereed international journals.

What about your best experience in life?

That is a hard one to answer. [Long pause]I am trying to give a honest answer, but I have lived such a long life, with many experiences to give… and it is just hard to assign a best one.

Now, I know that you had the chance to meet and talk to Ayn Rand once when you were younger. Building on that, has her philosophy influenced you a lot?

Yes I did meet Ayn Rand. It was a good experience, and I was very lucky. But has her philosophy influenced me? Yes and no. When I was younger, it influenced me more. It essentially taught me not to pay attention to people who are not important to me. However, some of her views are far more extreme than what I subscribe to. They were still comparatively down to earth in the way she projected her ideas in the Fountainhead. In Atlas Shrugged though, she went to the extremes. Nonetheless, I do go along that the worth of a human being is a consequence of his personal experiences and achievements. Also, same with the idea that I have no interest in the opinions of me of people I do not know

Would you say you are an objectivist then?

No. I do not want to box myself under a label. Rather, I would like to be gauged through my personal worth. My personal worth is that of a professional mathematician. I know what I can do n can’t do unfortunately. But this gives me a hard strong comprehension of my own worth as a professional, while my own life experiences give me a comprehension of my life’s worth as a man, and not other people. Therefore, in that sense I don’t agree with her.
She uses the word “egoism” to mean” enlightened self-interest as the basis of morality.” That is not the usual meaning, the latter being vaguely “selfishness.”
I admire her. But she went off the deep end in Atlas Shrugged…she has her hero, “John Galt,” give a 60-page speech which is a small treatise on philosophy, cribbed en large parts from Aristotle (which she freely acknowledges).
I pretty much agree with her earlier, purer ideas.

So, what do you do for fun?

I like to read science fiction and watch sports. I like basketball. I watch American basketball, some American football and watch the world soccer championship every four years. The Costa Ricans had taught me to appreciate soccer. But, believe it or not, one of my activities is actually doing mathematics – not in its work form, but rather, the creativity of it.

How is your regular life outside academics?

I like to travel. I am also happily married.

What are your political views regarding your country?

It depends on the particular topic. I am in some what socially liberal, but economically conservative. I think the government should stay out of my bedroom, but government programs that help people are a good thing. In general, I do tend more towards the Democratic side, but not on all things though. I will probably vote for Hillary Clinton for president this time, because I think she is the best qualified amongst the candidates.

What about Barack Obama?

I think he’s a rock star, but just an empty suit.

Why?

He has an extreme lack of experience. Also, he lacks the fundamental ruthlessness that anyone who wants to be president needs to have.

Ruthlessness!? Please explain.

Take Harry Truman for example. He made the decision to use atomic bomb. It was not an easy one, but he made it I admire him for it. It was estimated that should we had not used the bomb, one million more American soldiers would have to die before Japan would surrender. Now, I am not saying that the 200,000 Japanese casualties was a good thing. I am just pointing out the situation.

But does this ruthlessness come at the point of harming other countries?

Most of these are just hypothetical situations. But for example, the Iraq War – I thought it was good to go in, but Bush totally screwed it up. Bush didn’t listen properly to the plans; he did it “on the cheap.” As a result it went to hell. We should have stormed the whole country with troops – every corner should have been filled with troops so the terrorists couldn’t escape. I also acknowledge that we harmed Japan.

Do you not think that with great power comes great responsibility?

Yes I do, and I think America has done that very well. We allow people to come to our country. Just go to any American embassy, and you will see long lines of people hoping to get to the country. This is not true with most other countries, and this is because America is a country which offers unlimited opportunities to people for them to freely apply their abilities. It is a country of immigrants, and that gives it its unique strength and character. I consider myself very lucky to be born there.

What do you think of the growing anti-American sentiments then? Why do people hate it?
I think that there is a vocal group that is very noisy and likes to blame America for all the problems. That is natural, because it is strong. It comes with the territory, and the weak always blame the strong for their problems instead of facing up to their weakness as the fundamental cause.

Would you say that your views were shaped by the fact that you were in the military before? Also, can you tell us more about your military stint?

Well, at that time, 1960-64, conscription (the draft) was compulsory. By the time I get out, boy was I happy to get out. Nonetheless, I must admit that I had a good time there – I managed to use a combination of initiative and courage to get a marvellous job travelling first-class all over Europe on army money.

In those days, it was the Cold War, and there was the Berlin crisis, the Cuban Missile crisis with JFK. I was stationed in the borders along Czech border, in the bunkers when the Cuban Missile Crisis broke out. It was a tense night, and we all thought World War 3 was going to happen the next day. People were afraid, writing their wills and all.
Fortunately, at the last minute the Russians turned around. I remember one of the major who listened to the speech by JFK, He looked at me and said, ‘That’s one pissed off Irishman!’

But, to answer your previous question… No. My attitude is based on being an adult for 46 years now and my life experiences from living all over the world. This is a cumulative effect. I will be 67 years old as of December 20. I am still 66, still young. [Note : This interview was conducted at the end of the first semester]

How long more you plan to teach?

I plan to for an indefinite future. As long as I am blessed with good health, I have no immediate plans to retire, both at the university and here. Here in Costa Rica, there was a court case which decided that we have the right to work until we feel like it. Therefore, there is no mandatory retirement age.

Do you have any trivia to offer us?

Well, I am actually a very good dancer.

No way!

No lie. Both my parents were very good dancers, so I was accustomed to listening to music they did, and from childhood I danced.

Is this how you maintain your health?

My health is pure luck. It boils down to pure luck, for I had good genes. People in my family live to a long age. In fact, my mother is still alive, living in LA, driving a car around every morning.

Do you do any exercises?

Well, I used to do martial arts. I learnt from a Chinese master, who has long deceased. Nonetheless, my training had taught me so much that I was amazed by the things I could do at 45, 50. I even taught it for a while.

Lastly, what would be your advice to students?

When you decide on doing something, don’t listen to anybody. If you like to do it, you will be good at it; if you are good at it you will be successful; if you are successful, you will be happy, because you are doing something that you like.
Also, do not listen to anybody except yourself on what it is you want to do except you, because you are the one who will be doing it the rest of your life.

Wise words indeed. Did you apply the same thing for you doing mathematics?

Absolutely! When I told my father that I was going to do mathematics, he looked at me, saying ‘you’ll never make a dime’. He was right, but I couldn’t care less. I am very happy, for I am being paid to do something I love to do. Not many people can say that.