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
I am sad to hear of the passing of this great author. I have read many of his books and never found a weak one. “Footfall” is one of my favourite novels.
Best wishes to family ad friends. Grew up with his BYTE magazine column and SF work. Learnt lately of his political work. Will remember him as a source of reason in stormy irrational times.
Deepest condolences to Jerry’s family during this time.
Jerry warmth and wisdom both in his SciFi writings, and his insights into computers have been a part of me for too many years to remember.
I will miss him.
I feel lucky to have had the chance to visit with Dr. Pournelle at the Vintage Book Show a few years ago, and to see him in action at the LASFC meetings. He is and always will be a treasure. Peace to your entire family and to all the will miss him.
My condolences to Dr. Pournelle’s family, collaborators, and other friends. My first serious computer, whose purchase was influenced by Dr. Pournell’s Byte column, was a “transportable” that featured both Zilog Z80 and Intel 8088 microprocessors so it could run CPM and IBM PC DOS. While my coworkers were waiting for time on a couple of shared Apple IIs, I was getting some serious work done. The computer cost almost as much as my first car. I still have it on a shelf in my basement.
I have long been a fan of Dr. Pournelle’s writing and agree with others that the world is a little dimmer without him. May he rest in peace and may God comfort you in this time of sorrow.
May you rest in peace Jerry. I cannot articulate clearly all of the things I admire you for. I can only say that your words and ideas will last for many years.
Goodbye.
I loved Jerry’s blog posts. I just lost my mother on September 12, 2017 and hearing of Jerry’s passing makes everything even more surreal. Everything around me looks the same, but everything now seems different.
My condolences to Dr. Pournelle’s family and friends. Was it just last November at Loscon we exchanged a few pleasantries one evening? And I remember a small favor of help he did for me back in 2001. Thank you for your generosity. Gone too soon.
Jerry will be greatly missed.
I enjoyed his writings, fiction and non fiction, and appreciated that he wrote so often in collaboration with others. He also was a wonderful example that an intelligent and educated person could also be a person of faith.
I pray his family and friends will be surrounded in peace.
Very respectfully
Rose Krueger
This is my second posting to the well-wishing page. I beg your indulgence for it – the first post was Saturday morning, and the sadness and surprise was too great to express.
Much as the death of a musician is followed by your reflection on their music and its effect on you, Dr. Pournelle’s death has led to reflections on his profound influence on my life. Over the years, I’ve been blessed by the presence of many fine people, outstanding teachers, and positive influences. Yet, after my parents, Dr. Pournelle’s has been the deepest and most profound.
I came to the realization years ago that Jerry Pournelle had become one of my mentors – he was consciously a touchstone for me, on matters moral and ethical, political, intellectual, and anything else that he chose to discuss. The scene between Prince Lysander and John Christian Falkenberg, in Dr. Pournelle’s novel “Prince of Mercenaries”, immediately comes to mind – I was the young Prince, fascinated by the knowledge and wisdom that was palpable in anything the Colonel cared to share, and realizing that the time available to share it would be all to brief.
I’ve revisited favorite pages on Dr. Pournelle’s site (I sincerely hope it remains available for a long, long time – or is compiled and published in book form), followed the interesting and moving reminiscences posted here and elsewhere, and learned more about Dr. Pournelle than I had known – and I’ve been following his writing since discovering science fiction as a young teenager. For the past week, my quiet times have been filled with memories, internal debates, wide ranging thoughts, and contemplation of many things – humanity’s place in the universe, the development of civilization and technology, national and international policy, history, poetry, science fiction, and most importantly the meaning of a well-lived life.
At its worst, Jerry Pournelle’s writing here on the Chaos Manor web site was thought provoking, and all of his correspondents were fascinating in their own right. At its best, it was awe inspiring – thoughts, ideas, references, cultural treasures, and analysis that provided enlightenment, spun off myriads of intellectual paths to follow, and showed me a level of rational contemplation and scholarship to aspire to. It seemed that discussion and amicable disagreements were not only tolerated but encouraged in a way that is all too rare. There was always the feeling that Dr. Pournelle appreciated honest discussion and interesting viewpoints much more than mindless agreement.
With regards to a life well lived, I don’t expect to ever catch up to Dr. Pournelle. Still, it’s a meaningful and fulfilling thing to try.
I have followed his writings on computers and politics for as long as I can remember, starting with Byte magazine. His retelling of political and military history under the guise of science fiction brought a new understanding of the world to many people. He answered many questions and always seemed to be there, even though I never had the chance to meet him in person.
He will be missed.
May his memory be eternal!
Many of us have valued Jerry for his novels and computer articles, especially at the dawn of the personal computer age. He gave us dreams and an optimism about the future that was invaluable. Yet he gave so much to our country through his advocacy of technology and space exploration. Even if he wasn’t physically there, I believe he played a major role in the destruction of the Berlin wall and the fall of the Soviet Union. Truly our world would be much different, and much worse without his efforts.
Let me extend my condolences to his family and friends who have lost even more. Please remember that our worldly loss are temporary. God Bless.
Goodbye Dr. Pournelle,
I am deeply saddened by your passing! I very much enjoyed your books as well as your BYTE Columns. In the last years I have been reading your column daily. I will miss your comments and views!
My sincere condolences to your family and friend.
Goodbye Dr. Pournelle.
I will always remember reaching out for the dictionary when reading your columns (English is not my mother tongue) but it was so worth it! I was a teenager reading your BYTE page…then came the web.
For years you were a source of both facts and fun. Simply wonderful.
RIP and my very best regards from Madrid, Spain.
Goodbye Dr. Pournelle. You will be missed. You are missed already.
I never actually met him, but I feel as if I have lost a friend. I do not exaggerate when I write that I would not be where I am today were it not for his writings in Byte.
I am saddened by the loss of Dr Pournelle and wish to extend my deepest sympathy to his family and friends.
The world is poorer for his passing.
Godspeed Jerry ! You brought light and warm wisdom to an often sad and crazy time. My sincere condolences to your Family and to your friends , especially Larry Niven.
To the Family, Friends and Fans of Dr. Pournelle,
I wish to offer my condolences on the loss of Dr. Poyrnelle, he was an prolific and rather amazing Author whose point of view was well dug in deep in reality, eleven when writing about Insteller Politics and War.
I owe Dr. Pournelle more of my own point of view than I usually let on, especially the advantages in a strong Monarchy (still under Constitutional Law.) not a popular opinion (unless I happen into a Pub filled with old English Colonels!) these populist and confused days.
Anyway, I wish you all the best of your memories to hold, and to lift your hears with.
Thank you for the books that have given me so much reading pleasure over the years. Saddened to know that you are gone and that there will be no more. RIP.