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 about Roberta. Wishing her a speedy recovery, and continued recovery for you as well. You are both in my thoughts.
Haven’t seen you for a while. Haven’t read any reports in the news about you winning the lottery. (That would be too cool.) Hope all is well with you and your family, and that it’s only normal life that keeping you busy. God Bless and keep you all.
Dr. Pournelle –
I want to continue reading your works for years to come.
I wish you speedy recovery and long health. To use an acronym from another franchise, LLAP.
Dr. Pournelle,
I am a long-time fan of yours. In fact I can say that your work is an inspiration for my own writing. I was told some years ago that you had passed away. I am glad to discover that I was misinformed.
Dr. Pournelle, I love your attitude toward the disgraceful way the Hugos treated you this year. Continued success in your recovery from the stroke and I hope to have the honor of meeting you in person in the future.
Dear Dr. Pournelle,
It’s both funny and sad how our bodies betray us as we get older. I was always the one who walked faster than others. Now with bad knees and a doctor who claims that knee replacement should be the last thing to try (I’ve tried everything else) because his wife got depressed after her knee replacement, I’m the one hobbling along.
Sorry to hear about your stroke. The award you deserved, the stroke you did not. Glad you are working at the rehab.
I’ve enjoyed your books, especially The Mote in God’s Eye.
Get well, be well, and hang around to keep us all honest.
Dr Pournelle,
I am sorry about your medical issues, but I am very relieved you are rehabbing. Your books where a large part of my youth (especially the Moties series, i.e. “The Mote in God’s Eye”).
I taught Computer Engineering at the college level for 22 years, I would love to teach that technology (frictionless surfaces!).
Thank you, you have my best wishes and prayers.
Sorry to hear about the stroke. But I’m glad to see you are not letting it stop you from writing. I enjoy reading your stories and look forward to many more. Keep up the good work.
I am delighted to see TWBW XI in the pipeline. In general, get back to work / Take My Money!
I hope to run into you at a Struldbrug function in a century or so.
My family name being cognate with “Kulak”, thanks for your part in taking down the Soviets in Russia.
Dr. Pournelle,
I have greatly enjoyed your writing for many years, I like others liked Falkenberg’s tales the most. Do hope you might one day revisited his worlds. Perhaps Mr. Trunp wil be unconventional enough to ask you to be on one of his advisory commisions.
Best Wishes, John D. Kragness
Two things, perhaps three …
Stick with it, don’t let it beat you.
Congratulations for the RAH award – you are most deserving
And, thanks, for among other things, that article you wrote about teaching one’s-self to touch-type on a Saturday afternoon.
Dana ‘The Madman’ Hansen
Congratulations for the RAH award: No one is more deserving than you!
I have always considered you and Heinlein to be the best SF writers of our times. I have enjoyed your fiction and non-fiction since you first began writing, those many years ago.
Thanks for all you have done for America’s future in space, and God-speed on your recovery. A long life to you sir!
Kudos on the RAH award!
Look at you! A RAH winner! Couldn’t happen to a better or more deserving person! 🙂
Congrats!
God Speed Jerry! You will recover, count on my prayers for you. I grew up in Brazil in the 70’s, and my parents had friends that traveled frequently so I always asked them to smuggle Byte magazines for me. Your column was always the first one to read. Graduated with a BS in Nuclear Physics, and then came to the U.S. for my Masters in Electrical Engineering (Univ. of Wisconsin) and then went on to a PhD in Computer Engineering (Univ. of South Carolina). The best part of living here was being able to easily get my hands on Byte and your columns! Today I found your web site, I will be a frequent visitor. I learned a lot from your texts, and you are the reason I switched from Physics to Electronics, I fell in love with electronics and computers (I admit that Steve Ciarcia and John Dvorak also played in this decision!). Take care of yourself and keep writing. Cheers!
Wishing you a recovery. Was a big fan of Falkenberg’s Legion series in high school. Read the books several times and really got into understanding sociopolitics, and military strategy based on your writings.
You remain in my prayers for a speedy recovery — not just because I selfishly want more writing but also because I believe you a truly good American.
Hope you recover well. Found your website after a few years absence. You were the main reason I used to buy the old BYTE magazine, to read your column back in the early days of computing. What a great time that was. Again speedy recovery.
Dear Dr. Pournelle:
I wish you “warp speed” in your recovery. I became a fan of your Chaos Manor column in Byte magazine in the early 1980’s. When a new issue arrived I always read your column first – even before studying the classifieds for the latest bargain prices. I was a fan of CP/M and because of your writing I learned of Bill Godbout’s systems. I almost won one of his give-away systems (missed it by ONE number) and set out to buy one, which I did the following year. I enjoyed that system very much and still have it in storage in the original boxes! Eight inch drives and all.
Thank you for all of the good reading and your “right-on” view of the technology world and life in general.
Best wishes,
Ken Mills
Dear Dr. Pournelle;
A Step Farther Out is still one of my absolute favorite books. I’m sorry about your stroke; please rest up as well as you can.