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
Very sorry To hear of Dr Pournelle’s passing. I’ve followed his column in Byte since the 80’s and then his day book for many years and of course his books. He was one of the last voices of sanity and reason in a very troubled world, my deepest sympathy to Your Family at this time
God Speed you on your way Jerry.
I learned so very much from Dr. Pournelle, and from those that gathered around him. I learned from his posts of Kipling the power of poetry, and his editing, the voices of kindred spirits.
I shall miss his voice dearly, and his Musings at Chaos Manor.
Douglas M. Colbary
R.I.P. You are one of my all-time favorite authors.
Adios, Jerry. Have a nice (after)life.
Sorry to hear about this. My condolences to his family.
Like may others, my memories of Jerry Pournelle go back the the Byte Magazine days. A major force in SF; a conservative voice to be reckoned with; an entertaining columnist.
Jerry Eugene Pournelle (August 7, 1933 – September 8, 2017)
Jerry Pournelle was a good friend, more to me than I was to him. Originally dog-fighting adversaries at the University of Washington, he being the campus William Buckley against my Sacco & Vanzetti,yet I could not help but respect his point of view, partly because he dared engage with mine.
From Jerry, I learned to listen more than talk, and later when I ran into him at the West Coast Computer Fair, he was very generous, not only with his time, but with his attention, trying to get various big-league computer CEOs to hire me as a writer, because as he put it, “They need to have their #*@* manuals written by poets.” And finally, when he invited me to a party at his house, he introduced me to Pierluigi Zappacosta the Logitech CEO, and a year later I was able to land a job there as Publications Manager.
Also, Jerry was my first publisher, and actually paid me for a poem that he published in his collection “There Will Be War.” I’d been unemployed for over a year, and tried to hit him up for a loan, but he said his finances were too tight just then. “But,” he continued, “you’re a poet. Write me a poem and if I like it, I’ll pay you $100 and publish it and give you the copyright.”
A week later I sent and he published:
Harmonica Song.
for Pournelle
The old men drown their music,
But the young men hear the call.
One day you hear the thunder say
This flag is going to the wall.
And you don’t know how to get there,
Cause you don’t know where you’re from;
But you pick it up from the bloody ground
And your heart becomes a drum.
And your feet find hidden pathways
Where maps blur in the rain;
And you almost see the face of your friend
In the heart of your pain
Dance on the road!
Dance in the sky!
No place to fall.,
No place to die!
And its a long sleep
At the end of the road;
Whatever you can carry,
That’s your load.
Think what you think;
Don’t cry if I fall;
Just remember the promise:
Take it to the wall.
——
Too many memories just now.
You changed my life, Jerry.
You challenged me with your spirit.
Memory Eternal….
Very saddened to learn of Dr. Pournelle’s passing. His writings have been a source of inspiration and knowledge for all of my adult life.
I learned PC’s along with him in Byte, and moved into a career in IT. I followed along with Chaos Manor and learned many things as I went. I found his political commentary refreshing as it was reasoned and based on knowledge rather than the emotional knee-jerk that seems to rule today. And of course, I’ve been an avid consumer of his fiction. ‘Tis a shame it never made the big screen.
RIP Jerry and condolences to the family. This sucks dead bunnies, indeed.
I have enjoyed Dr. Pournelle’s books for many years, and expect to enjoy re-reading them for years more. But it was his columns in Byte magazine that I remember most fondly. I began reading those during a time when I was first getting deeply immersed in working with personal computers, and learned many things and was inspired by many things in his columns that helped me in establishing my career. He had a way of writing that made me feel as though I were visiting his household and looking over his shoulder as he navigated the sometimes rough waters of getting his computers to do his bidding. I looked forward to his new columns like looking forward to visiting a friend with whom I could be certain of spending a pleasant and rewarding afternoon. He was the kind of person who touched many people and who helped leave the world a better place than he found it. I wish now that I had tried to find a way to tell him that, though I’m sure many others did. My deepest condolences go out to his family and to all who knew him.
RIP Dr Pournelle.
His books and his edited works were a huge part of my 1980s and have influenced me to this day. The Mote in God’s Eye and Footfall in particular, of course, but also his CD/Empire stories. Actually, the latter even more than Mote or Footfall.
His editing work with the There Will be War and Imperial Stars series introduced me to fascinating essays and the works of other fiction writers, new and old. Material I might well not have ever seen without Pournelle’s curatorial efforts.
Between that and his professional work outside SF, a towering contribution.
We recently lost Brian Aldiss, as well. In the SF field, he too straddled that line between great author and great editor and curator of other writers. A bad month to lose two such men, but a good time to remember such great works.
Thanks, Jerry.
As a longtime computer hobbyist, ham radio operator, and science fiction reader, Jerry’s column was one of the first I read in BYTE. I still have all the back issues of BYTE on a shelf in my basement. I also have a large collection of paperback science fiction novels, and Jerry’s and Larry Niven’s works figure prominently on the shelves.
I’m so sorry to hear of Jerry’s passing, and my thoughts and prayers go out to his closest friends and family.
I will miss you, Jerry. You enriched my life. Thank you. My sympathies to those who love you.
Since today is Talk Like a Pirate Day, I thought I would post again.
ARRRRR!
Were it not for Jerry, I would not have known such a day existed. In fact, were it not for Jerry, I would not have known many many things both fun and useful.
A fitting tribute to Jerry would be an X Prize for establishing a base on the Moon with the first arrivals staying for some period of time, perhaps one or two years as a prelude to a permanent Colony named after Dr. Pournelle.
We should write to our Representatives and Senators in Washington suggesting this!
My deepest sympathies for the family & friends of Jerry as an Australian I never met the great man but read his books & followed Chaos Manor avidly.
His insight & knowledge was an inspiration and an illumination on how the generation before mine got things done, thought nothing was impossible, were the dreamers, threat team and also the solution team.
Very sadly missed Jerry, your passing brought tears to my eyes, but your books are on my shelf & your ideas in my mind.
Rest in peace.
A lot of my interest in IT over a lifetime was due to Jerry’s writings in Byte. And I must have read just about all his books!
Vale, Dr Jerry Pournelle! A great guiding light!
My condolences to the family.
I read “The Mote in God’s Eye”, and “Footfall” in high school. They inspire me to this day.
My sincerest condolences to the family.
Condolences to family and friends. Dr. Pournelle touched me deeply and I only knew him through his columns, blogs, books, and stories; I know his loss must be greatly felt to those closest.
As Dr. Pournelle would say, our culture is our stories, and is how we learn and grow. Thank you for contributing to the lesson plan. God bless.
Sad day indeed when I heard of Jerry’s passing.
My first introduction was his Chaos Manor column in Byte magazine as a charter subscriber. Loved his books and column postings throughout the years.
My condolences to the family.
I am deeply sorry to learn of Dr. Pournelle’s passing. He has always been one of my favorite authors (both solo and when combining his talents with others). His Co-Dominium universe, as well as The Mote in God’s Eye, remain among my favorite reads.
I never had the opportunity to meet him in person. I did not always agree with his political views; but as he wrote, there is room and a need for people of conscience to disagree and debate in a civilized manner, and he did just that.
RIP Dr. Pournelle – You have left the world a far better place for being in it for the too-brief time we were fortunate to have you.
I learned of Dr. Pournelle from his early Byte columns, the User’s Column and Computing at Chaos Manner. He inspired me to learn more about computers and their real life applications. He explored things I could not because, to paraphrase his own words, he “did these things so I wouldn’t have to” and he is in large part responsible for the pervasion of computers in my personal and professional lives. To this day I introduce my students to his essay entitled “How to Get my Job” each semester as I endeavor to make them better writers. His loss is tangible but I hope that now he can now enjoy freedom from the burdens of his earth-bound physical form.
I didn’t know Jerry in his Byte days, but grew to “know” him through his books (Janissaries series) and then Chaos Manor. I found Chaos Manor a refreshing dose of sanity and information. If I may use her first name, my deepest condolences to Roberta and the family.