In May 1964, almost exactly 40 years ago, two Dartmouth mathematics professors rolled out a simple innovation that changed everything. John Kemeny, who would later become Dartmouth's 13th president, and his colleague Thomas Kurtz, working with a team of undergraduates, had invented the computer language known as BASIC, or Beginner's All Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code. It would become the most widely used computer language in the world.
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As president, Kemeny brought coeducation to Dartmouth, reinvigorated the Native American Program, implemented the D-Plan, and was a tireless advocate for the universal use of computers, then an exotic tool used only in the most advanced laboratories. John Kemeny's vision of access to computers for all, which he developed into a time-sharing system on campus, was, in many ways, the foundation of the Internet.
Kurtz and Kemeny made Dartmouth a leader in providing computer and Internet resources to faculty, students, administrators, and alumni. New technologies, such as campuswide wireless network and the convergence of phone, data, and cable systems, continue the legacy they began back in the 1960s.
To honor this legacy and ensure the College remains in the vanguard of mathematics teaching and research, Dartmouth is building Kemeny Hall, with support from a Kresge Foundation challenge grant and alumni gifts.
Learn more about Kemeny Hall at www.dartmouth.edu/kemeny.
- By Laurel Stavis
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