John G. Kemeny, Mathematician + Co-founder of BASIC + Timesharing + President of Dartmouth + Einstein’s Assistant = No Relation
Wednesday, February 8th, 2006
Although we were both born in Budapest, both of Jewish heritage, and both have a keen interest in computers & mathematics, I am only related to the famous Professor John Kemeny by name. I did meet him once – he had a fine Hungarian accent. I have read two of his books, Introduction to Finite Mathematics (pdf) and Man and the Computer.
Jonathan Rotenberg, who founded the Boston Computer Society at age 13, once told Bill Gates, who had started discussing John Kemeny, that “We have our own John Kemeny.” I was leading the Timex-Sinclair group at the time.
