 Hugo Teufel Jr.'s first language was German and he grew up in Wichita, Kansas.Teufel Jr. graduated from the University of Kansas and served as an officer in the United States Air Force, stationed at Kirtland Air Force Base, before receiving a master's and a doctorate in mathematics from the University of New Mexico and becoming a mathematics professor at Wichita State University.Teufel Jr. was a chess champion as a teenager.