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John KemenyHungarian-American mathematician, information technology specialist and educator
Date of Birth: 31.05.1926
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of John Kemeny
John Kemeny was a Hungarian-American mathematician, computer specialist, and educator. He is most well-known as one of the developers of the BASIC programming language.
Early Life and Education
Kemeny was born in Budapest, Hungary. In 1938, his father emigrated to the United States, and in 1940, the rest of the family followed. The decision to emigrate was influenced by the political situation in Hungary, including the implementation of anti-Jewish laws. Unfortunately, Kemeny's grandfather, uncle, and aunt refused to leave and disappeared during the Holocaust.
In New York City, Kemeny completed his schooling and excelled as the top student in his class. In 1943, he enrolled at Princeton University, where he studied mathematics and philosophy. During his studies, Kemeny was granted a year-long leave to work on the Manhattan Project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory under the guidance of Richard Feynman and John von Neumann.
After returning to Princeton, Kemeny continued his studies and completed his bachelor's degree in 1947. He focused on his doctoral research under the supervision of Alonzo Church. It is known that Kemeny also worked as an assistant to Albert Einstein for some time. In 1949, he successfully defended his dissertation.
Career and Contributions
In 1953, Kemeny joined the mathematics department at Dartmouth College. Within two years, he became the department chair and held the position until 1967. Along with Thomas Eugene Kurtz, Kemeny actively promoted computers and computer projects aimed at ordinary users. One of their notable projects was the development of the BASIC programming language and one of the first time-sharing systems for the PDP-1.
From 1970 to 1981, Kemeny served as the president of Dartmouth College. Despite his administrative responsibilities, he continued to teach and conduct research. Kemeny launched the "Dartmouth Plan," a year-round education system that allowed for increased student enrollment without expanding the physical infrastructure. He also prioritized the admission and support of minority students, including Native American students.
Throughout his career, Kemeny emphasized the importance of information technology. Under his leadership, Dartmouth College extensively utilized computers in various fields of study, essentially equating computer literacy with traditional literacy.
In 1982, Kemeny stepped down from his administrative role and focused on teaching. In 1983, he and Thomas Kurtz founded the company "True BASIC" to promote an improved and enhanced version of their own programming language. Kemeny continued to actively study and develop information technology, regularly publishing new articles and monographs on topics such as mathematical logic and discrete mathematics.
Kemeny's contributions to the field of computer science and mathematics earned him lasting recognition. In his honor, a voting system and a constant in probability theory were named after him.
Death
John Kemeny passed away on December 26, 1992, due to heart failure. He was 66 years old at the time of his death.
