About the Author
William Kent (1936-2005) was a renowned researcher
in the field of data modeling. Author of Data and
Reality, he wrote scores of papers and spoke at
conferences worldwide, posing questions about
database design and the management of information
that remain unanswered today. Though he earned a
bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and a
master's in mathematics, he had no formal training
in computer science. Kent worked at IBM and later
at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, where he helped
develop prototype database systems. He also served
on or chaired several international standards
committees. Kent lived in New York City and later
Menlo Park, Calif., before retiring to Moab, Utah,
to pursue his passions of outdoor photography and
protecting the environment.
While 69 is fairly young, his death does not appear to be tragic in the sense of unfulfilled ambitions.
> While 69 is fairly young, his death does not appear to be tragic in the sense of unfulfilled ambitions.
My comment was from the perspective of course of life. After retirement, he had only 5 years to pursue "his passions of outdoor photography and protecting the environment". (Note that he did not continue working on his research.)
He was under pressure to deliver results (school, working, etc.) for the majority of his life, and he had only 5 years of total and independent (within financial constraints) freedom. That is sad.
