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Bronx High School of Science Massachusetts Institute of Technology

DANIEL BOBROW Obituary

BOBROW--Daniel (Danny)

G., PhD. November 29, 1935 - March 20, 2017. Daniel (Danny) Bobrow passed away peacefully at home with his wife Toni and daughters Kimberly and Deborah in Palo Alto, California, on March 20, 2017, having bravely fought a five-month battle with cancer. Danny was born to Ruth Gureasko Bobrow and Jacob Bobrow on November 29, 1935, in the Bronx, New York City. A gifted student, he attended Bronx High School of Science and went on to earn a BS from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, an MS from Harvard, and a PhD in Mathematics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology under the supervision of Marvin Minsky. His was one of the first MIT doctoral theses in Artificial Intelligence. A pioneer with a long and distinguished research career in Artificial Intelligence as a Research Fellow in the System Sciences Laboratory of the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), he is remembered as a mentor, friend, and role model for many. One esteemed colleague wrote: "Danny Bobrow's death is a huge loss for PARC/Xerox and the research community at large. Danny was an influential researcher, true gentleman and a wonderful person." Danny served as president of the American Association for Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), president of the Cognitive Science Society, editor-in-chief of the Artificial Intelligence Journal, and also was a recipient of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) Software Systems Award and a fellow of both the ACM and AAAI. He was key to the development of many ground- breaking systems, starting with his doctoral dissertation, STUDENT, and followed by the widely used programming languages Logo and Interlisp; the (innovative) operating system TENEX; the knowledge-sharing system Eureka; and more recently, Powerset, the natural language search engine. Beyond his profound professional accomplishments, Danny was a truly caring husband, father, and friend to all who had the privilege to know him. He shared 39 joyful years with his beloved wife Toni Wagner Bobrow. Together, they enjoyed many world travel adventures and had a mutual passion for the arts and literature. Danny took great pleasure in fatherhood, enjoying a rich and special relationship with each of his daughters, Kimberly and Deborah, and his son Jordan. He shared a warm and close relationship with his brothers, Michael, Rusty and Eric, as well as many extended family members. Danny is survived by his wife, Toni Wagner Bobrow; his children, Kimberly Bobrow Jennery, Deborah Bobrow, and Jordan Bobrow; and his brothers, Michael Bobrow, Robert (Rusty) Bobrow, and Eric Bobrow. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, a donation in his name be given to one of Danny's favorite nonprofit organizations: KQED (or a local PBS/NPR station), Planned Parenthood or the ACLU.

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Published by New York Times on Apr. 2, 2017.

Memories and Condolences
for DANIEL BOBROW

18 Entries

Melinda Stucker

January 31, 2023

Looking up my old friend, Toni I came upon this obit and want to extend condolences. I would have sooner had I known, Toni. Richard and I are still in VT. Please get in touch if you want:
[email protected] Lots of love to you.
Melinda

Mervyn Bud Goldstein

December 23, 2022

I was privileged to be friends with Dan throughout high school. He was brilliant; I mean REALLY brilliant. His lifetime achievements are no surprise. His family will no doubt smile with those decades on memories. Or

Lester and Barbara Hyman

May 16, 2017

Dear Toni, Michael and Rusty,
Although we seldom saw or spoke to each other since Barb and I left CA in the late 60's,
we remained friends and occasional poker buddies over all the years. It was great knowing
him over all the years and Barbara and I will miss him
Les and Barbara Hyman

April 18, 2017

Rusty-
I was so sorry to hear about your brother Danny's death - my condolences to you and your family.
Carol Sabia

Kimberly Bobrow Jennery

April 17, 2017

It's incredibly meaningful for me to see these remembrances - thank you to each and every one of you who took the time to share a little bit about your connection with my dad. If you come across this guest book, and ever wonder if it's worth sharing your thoughts about him, I assure you, it's worth it to me, and always will be.

Joe Becker

April 15, 2017

Danny was my last summertime and first fulltime boss, at BBN, and then seemingly led the migration to Xerox PARC. I once walked into his office at BBN, on his desk he had a heap of plastic cups from a picnic set, each molded in a bright single color. He was slowly sorting them into piles by color ... but we had discussed the fact that he was completely color-blind.

I blurted out:

"But, how do you know what color they are?"

He answered without looking up:

"How do *you* know what color they are?!"

Jill Maleson

April 13, 2017

In a word Danny was a mensch. He was kind when my husband Joseph Maleson died in 1980. May his memory be a blessing.

William Woods

April 4, 2017

Danny was an inspiration and a mentor to me. He started me on my career. He was always encouraging.

April 4, 2017

Danny Bobrow was a researcher and person who helped make the history of artificial intelligence and PARC. He was impressive in every sense, for his knowledge and his humanity. He was humble as only exceptional people can be.
He was one of the few people who understood as early as the eighties, that truly useful technology can only be produced together with a deep understanding of human practices and needs. The Xerox Research Centre Europe was fortunate to collaborate with him on several occasions throughout the years. He helped define our research and always kept in touch, appreciative of the multidisciplinary and multifaceted activities he was such a strong supporter of. Everyone here in Grenoble who had the opportunity to work with Danny, or even just spend some time with him, will have everlasting, fond memories.
----- Xerox Research Centre Europe

Wolfgang Bibel

April 4, 2017

I had the great pleasure to closely collaborate with Danny at the editorial board of the Artificial Intelligence Journal, whereby he served as Editor-in-Chief and me as Research Notes Editor. It was one of the smoothest professional collaborations I enjoyed during my life. It coincided with one of the most striving periods in this prestigious journal's time of existence. My ever-lasting memories of Danny are full of admiration for both his bright mind and his warm personality.

Susan Deemer

April 3, 2017

A beautiful man who led a beautiful life which ended far too soon.
-Susan Deemer

April 3, 2017

Gone and will not be forgotten, may your beloved R.I.P and may God continue to comfort and strengthen grieving family and friends.

Nora Boettcher

April 2, 2017

Danny has been a constant and meaningful presence through my entire adult life. It is difficult to imagine my day to day life without him in it. His friendship was a gift. Kind, caring and a good listener, he always made a point of asking how I was doing, not as a social convention but because he really wanted to know. I've heard said, to be interesting, be interested. By that measure, Danny was the most interesting person I've had the pleasure of knowing. He will be missed.

Diana Hensley

April 1, 2017

Danny was my sister's brother-in-law. I knew him as an encourager, and a really wonderful person to be around. I feel lucky to have known him.
My deepest condolenced to all his lovely family. Diana Hensley

Michael Bobrow

April 1, 2017

Your prayers are welcome and appreciated- Michael

Jamie

March 31, 2017

My prayers are with the family. ( John 11 : 25 )

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