Oh, that is sad news. I knew Joe was a frequent contributor to the list, and when I posted the article on the Toronto Star earlier today I thought "well Joe Reid, being from Toronto, ought to have a comment". I guess I didn't notice he's been absent the last few weeks.
But I must say, having lived to 90 and been such a strong contributor until just a short while ago is a full life. I wish his family well. Nat -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Bill Potts Sent: Thursday, 2004 February 19 20:56 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:28794] Sad News I have sad news to report. Joe Reid, who was President Emeritus of the Canadian Metric Association and a frequent contributor to this list, died two days ago at the age of 90. Some of you already know that Joe was my boss at Air Canada (then called Trans Canada Airlines) from 1958 to 1961. Joe was a Rhodes Scholar and a brilliant physicist and mathematician. He was also a pioneer (even more than I was) in the computer field, having started with one of the old vacuum-tube-based computers, called the ALWAC III. Joe leaves a widow, Marjorie, who is about 94 or 95. Unfortunately (or fortunately, in a way), she has advanced Parkinson's Disease and completely lost her ability to communicate about two years ago. She will, of course, be unaware of Joe's death. Joe also leaves four daughters and, I think, a small number of grandchildren. Fortunately, one of his daughters lives in Toronto and can take care of whatever Marjorie's needs are (over and above those handled by staff of the home in which she's living). Finding out about Joe's death was fortuitous. John Mercer's reference to an article in the Toronto Star led me to look for the article. One of the people quoted in the article was John Parkyn, the current president of the Canadian Metric Association. I wanted to talk to him about the article, so I found his number on Canada411 and called him. I mentioned Joe and the fact that I had worked for him. That was when John told me he had died. I last talked to Joe on his 90th birthday, having sent him a surprise delivery of flowers and a card. I'm glad I was able to make that one last gesture of respect and love. His presence on this list will definitely be missed. Bill Potts, CMS Roseville, CA http://metric1.org [SI Navigator]
