This page is for site visitors to post remembrances and thoughts at the time of Dr. Pournelle’s passing (8 Sep 2017). Your thoughts can be added using the form at the bottom of this page. Comments that are not related to words of encouragement or condolences will be removed.
Dr. Pournelle’s family appreciates those that have taken the time to send condolences and well wishes.
For those that are interested in Dr. Pournelle’s books, please see the e-books page or the Amazon page . Here’s a list of all of Jerry’s books: All The Books.
Jerry’s last post is here. The text of the eulogy given at the memorial is here. Site news is here. – Editor
The passing of a giant.
I’ll so miss this man. I never had the pleasure of meeting him in person, but we had exchanged correspondence via GEnie mail and email a few times. My deepest condolences to his family.
My deepest condolences to Jerry’s family. I truly enjoyed Jerry’s Byte column, his books, and this site. I ran into him at the 2002 Exchange conference in Anaheim, a near collision actually. Flustered, I stuck out my hand, and he graciously shook it. I stole a few seconds of conversation that I will always treasure.
Jerry Pournelle has now passed on.
I had the opportunity to spend some time conversing with him and Larry Niven at a book signing for Footfall in Santa Barbara. I challenged him with inconsistencies and weirdisms that I had noted in his Chaos Manor series in Byte magazine (where he frequently reviewed networking trends and gear), and he acknowledged my observations. It turns out that he had remodeled his house to add a second story, and had added a floor above the low side of a split-level that was even with rooms above the high-side — meaning that a substantial part of his home had an internal crawl-space between the first and second floors, thus allowing him to
tuck boatloads of networking and support gear (UPS, routers, ….) in a place most people and businesses didn’t have.
And now, he’s gone, and can’t address the issue. His son, Alex, probably could if asked. I need to send this memory to epobirs (who was close to Jerry) to see if it can be preserved. I also need to send my condolences to epobirs.
Within our grief for the loss of our dear friend, we should remember the innovative technological solutions he implemented.
My condolences to family and friends. This was a sudden and incalculable loss. After my mentor passed, Jerry was one of the few people I could look up to and converse with on matters important to me and to the nation. If his limited relationship with me is that important to me, I can’t even imagine the loss of those close to him.
No other forum like Chaos Manor exists and no other man like Jerry exists. His observations, advice, and arguments remain important to individuals and to society. He contributed much to our country and much to my life. I’m grateful for his counsel and book recommendations and for the work he did for all of us.
I hope his passing was peaceful and painless. Again, my condolences to all.
My heartfelt condolences to his family. Jerry was one of the greats, able to discuss rationally just about anything and wrote some really great yarns.
I was never privileged to meet him, but his life and his work made my life better.
May his soul rest where the just repose, and his memory be eternal!
I loved his writing and Chaos Manor articles in Byte Magazine. Truly a master.
When I was a young teen, I went to my first convention, and Jerry Pournelle took the time to answer my questions and make me feel like I was important enough to talk to for a while.
He was kind, he was witty, and he helped to fan the flames of a young fans love for science fiction.
RIP, and may your fans that have moved to the next life welcome you to that Twinkle in Gods eye.
* Jerry the P. was someone I’ve known to speak to for some forty odd years. I’d like to think he was a friend for most of those years — my condolences to his family and to his other friends. He will be missed.
I am deeply saddened by Jerry’s departure. Always a source of sense and moderation. It would be wonderful if someone could take the reins of this website and continue it in the spirit of Jerry Pournelle.
I posted this once, but not sure if it got through.
I go to this site every night before going to bed. He will be missed.
Now I have a proposal. Lets have prizes in Jerry Pournelle’s name. The prize would be like the X Prize. It wouldn’t have to come from congress. It could come from a billionaire.
The first company to land three people on the Moon, and stay for two weeks, and repeat the mission within six months, should receive a prize of $2 billion. There would be smaller prizes, and larger prizes. And the prizes wouldn’t have to be for the Moon. It could also be used for other purposes. Such as SSTO spacecraft.
I was deeply saddened by the news of Jerry’s passing. I discovered him in Byte in the 80s and have read his books and columns and essays ever since with great glee. The only good thing I can think to say about this is that he will no longer be tormented and tortured by MS Word & Outlook (since I am sure they have neither in Heaven).
Vaya con Dios, my friend !!!
My condolences to his family, but I would like to express my admiration for a full life well-lived. I will miss your opinion, your wit and your advice, but most of all your writing. No one has had more of a impact on what and why I write than you and H. Beam Piper all those years ago.
Thank you, Dr. Pournelle. The pleasure was mine.
Jerry will forever be cherished and the interviews he did on TWiT were pure treasures for many. Blessings and well wishes to Jerry’s family, what a great man with a great attitude and outlook on life he had and I’m glad he shared that with the world.
It’s wonderful to know he had a great time at DragonCon. Thanks for letting us know this as it brought a smile to my face. See you out there in the mote Jerry and please send my respects to RAH.
Sending prayers for his family and friends. I have read and re-read his books so many times. He will be missed by all his fans. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul rest in peace.
Deepest condolences. I’ve loved all his writing and still miss his Byte Magazine columns. He was a national treasure.
Lucifer’s Hammer, Footfall, Moties, Heorot, The Gripping Hand, Beowulf’s Children; what hours of intellectual enjoyment and adventure he provided us.
Oh, my goodness. Just gutted to learn of Dr. Pournelle’s passing. Condolences to, and prayers for, his family.
Godspeed, Dr. P, and thank you for decades of enlightenment and entertainment!
I knew Dr. Pournelle well enough, I think, that I knew in his heart of hearts he was a good and decent man, a man who deserved respect.
That he and Mrs. Pournelle raised such a family of good and decent people to follow them leaves a legacy as permanent as any of his books.
Next year in Luna City.
My prayers for Roberta and the rest of Dr. Pournelle’s family. I wish we could have met – he was always a first pick for my fantasy dinner party – but I have spent so many wonderful hours with him through his writings. The words of Pliny the Younger come to mind: “Happy I esteem those to be to whom by provision of the gods has been granted the ability either to do such actions as are worthy of being related or to relate them in a manner worthy of being read; but peculiarly happy are they who are blessed with both these uncommon talents.”
I can’t remember a time when Jerry’s writing wasn’t part of my life From King David’s Space Ship and the Chaos Manor column in Byte to this latest incarnation and his There Will War series I devoured them all. His imagination and thoughtful writing were an important influence in developing my personal philossophy and knowledge of life. When he wrote about the F20 so many years ago and I first encountered the concept of “Not Invented Here” was a crucial moment in my intellectual maturation. Thank you Dr. Pournelle for being one of my most important teachers.