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[Axiom-developer] 20090401.01.tpd.patch (bookvol0 add Richard Jenks bio)
From: |
daly |
Subject: |
[Axiom-developer] 20090401.01.tpd.patch (bookvol0 add Richard Jenks bio) |
Date: |
Wed, 1 Apr 2009 08:05:10 -0600 |
Added to Book Volume 0: Axiom Jenks and Sutor
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Richard Dimick Jenks |
| Axiom Developer and Computer Algebra Pioneer |
| |
| |
| Richard D. Jenks was born on November 16, 1937 in Dixon, Illinois, |
| where he grew up. During his childhood he learned to play the organ |
| and sang in the church choir thereby developing a life-long passion |
| for music. |
| |
| He received his PhD in mathematics from the University of Illinois at |
| Urbana-Champaign in 1966. The title of his dissertation was |
| ``Quadratic Differential Systems for Mathematical Models" and was |
| written under the supervision of Donald Gilles. After completing his |
| PhD, he was a post-doctoral fellow at Brookhaven National Laboratory |
| on Long Island. In 1968 he joined IBM Research where he worked until |
| his retirement in 2002. |
| |
| At IBM he was a principal architect of the Scratchpad system, one of |
| the earliest computer algebra systems(1971). Dick always believed that |
| natural user interfaces were essential and developed a user-friendly |
| rule-based system for Scratchpad. Although this rule-based approach |
| was easy to use, as algorithms for computer algebra became more |
| complicated, he began to understand that an abstract data type |
| approach would give sophisticated algorithm development considerably |
| more leverage. In 1977 he began the Axiom development (originally |
| called Scratchpad II) with the design of MODLISP, a merger of Lisp |
| with types (modes). In 1980, with the help of many others, he |
| completed an initial prototype design based on categories and domains |
| that were intended to be natural for mathematically sophisticated |
| users. |
| |
| During this period many researchers in computer algebra visited IBM |
| Research in Yorktown Heights and contributed to the development of the |
| Axiom system. All this activity made the computer algebra group at IBM |
| one of the leading centers for research in this area and Dick was |
| always there to organize the visits and provide a stimulating and |
| pleasant working environment for everyone. He had a good perspective |
| on the most important research directions and worked to attract |
| world-renowned experts to visit and interact with his group. He was an |
| ideal manager for whom to work, one who always put the project and the |
| needs of the group members first. It was a joy to work in such a |
| vibrant and stimulating environment. |
| |
| After many years of development, a decision was made to rename |
| Scratchpad II to Axiom and to release it as a product. Dick and Robert |
| Sutor were the primary authors of the book Axiom: The Scientific |
| Computation System. In the foreword of the book, written by David and |
| Gregory Chudnovsky, it is stated that ``The Scratchpad system took its |
| time to blossom into the beautiful Axiom product. There is no rival to |
| this powerful environment in its scope and, most importantly, in its |
| structure and organization.'' Axiom was recently made available as |
| free software. See http://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/axiom. |
| |
| Dick was active in service to the computer algebra community as |
| well. Here are some highlights. He served as Chair of ACM SIGSAM |
| (1979-81) and Conference Co-chair (with J. A. van Hulzen) of EUROSAM |
| '84, a precursor of the ISSAC meetings. Dick also had a long period of |
| service on the editorial board of the Journal of Symbolic |
| Computation. At ISSAC '95 in Montreal, Dick was elected to the initial |
| ISSAC Steering Committee and was elected as the second Chair of the |
| Committee in 1997. He, along with David Chudnovsky, organized the |
| highly successful meetings on Computers and Mathematics that were held |
| at Stanford in 1986 and MIT in 1989. |
| |
| Dick had many interests outside of his professional pursuits including |
| reading, travel, physical fitness, and especially music. Dick was an |
| accomplished pianist, organist, and vocalist. At one point he was the |
| organist and choirmaster of the Church of the Holy Communion in |
| Mahopac, NY. In the 1980s and 1990s, he sang in choral groups under |
| the direction of Dr. Dennis Keene that performed at Lincoln Center in |
| New York city. |
| |
| Especially important to him was his family: his eldest son Doug and |
| his wife Patricia, his son Daniel and his wife Mercedes, a daughter |
| Susan, his brother Albert and his wife Barbara, his sister Diane |
| Alabaster and her husband Harold, his grandchildren Douglas, Valerie, |
| Ryan, and Daniel Richard, and step-granddaughter Danielle. His |
| longtime companion, Barbara Gatje, shared his love for music, |
| traveling, Point O'Woods, and life in general. |
| |
| On December 30, 2003, Dick Jenks died at the age of 66, after an |
| extended and courageous battle with multiple system |
| atrophy. Personally, Dick was warm, generous, and outgoing with many |
| friends. He will be missed for his technical accomplishments, his |
| artist talents, and most of all for his positive, gentle, charming |
| spirit. |
| |
| Prepared by Bob Caviness, Barry Trager, and Patrizia Gianni with |
| contributions from Barbara Gatje, James H. Griesmer, Tony Hearn, |
| Manuel Bronstein, and Erich Kaltofen. |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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