> Then in the late 80s, with Ken and Roger joyously working on defining and > developing J in Ken's home office, it was Jean who kept them fed and > forced them to take breaks and even occasionally to go for walks.
Ken used to say, with a twinkle in his eyes, that he was glad that I was staying for dinner, because then he would have good food. Ken and Jean were both tall (both 6-footers?) but I ate more than them. Jean made sure that she made four portions, one for each of them and two for me. One time I was sick with the flu and hadn't visited Ken and Jean for a few days. Ken phoned and said that it was on Jean's suggestion, because I was living alone and if I'd died nobody would know for days. I said, oh, it would would take weeks or months before anybody knew. Jean was not formally trained in IT but she was good at it. I understand that she was the go to person for IT in the old folks home in the last years. One time, I had dinner in a restaurant around the corner on Yonge Street before going to their condo on Erskine Avenue. On arriving at their place, I said, "Today's not a good day to eat by yourself in a restaurant." Ken said, "Why? What's today?" Jean said, "It's Valentine's Day", in a tone of voice that says, "you big oaf". Ken and I were going out somewhere. Jean took a look at Ken's sweater and said, "You are not going out wearing that, are you?" RIP, Jean. On Sun, Jun 27, 2021 at 10:05 AM Eric Iverson <[email protected]> wrote: > Jean Iverson - 1925 - 2021 > > Jean Iverson passed away peacefully on Friday afternoon, June 25, 2021 in a > Toronto hospital. Her children were all able to have good, in person, > visits during her last days. She had a full and wonderful life, and will be > missed. > > If Ken was the father of APL/J, then Jean was just as important as the > mother. > > She worked tirelessly alongside Ken proofreading 'A Programming Language' > drafts and galley proofs. Every APL character that appears in the book was > meticulously drawn by her with a K&E Leroy set with a custom APL template > (first tech stab at the APL character challenge). > > Then in the late 80s, with Ken and Roger joyously working on defining and > developing J in Ken's home office, it was Jean who kept them fed and forced > them to take breaks and even occasionally to go for walks. > > Those were some of her hobbies. Her true calling was helping people, > especially young people, find their feet and a path to a good life. > > Again, she will be missed. > > (she would have wanted any comments to go to chat) > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
