Martin D. Alexander ’63

Martin died March 6, 2016, at home in Santa Rosa, Calif., after a 10-year struggle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. A groundbreaker in artificial intelligence, microprocessing, and cybersecurity, he was said by colleagues to be “one of the best software engineers on the planet.”

After preparing at The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, Martin majored in physics, belonged to the flying club, the fencing team, and WPRB, and ate senior year at Wilson. He then earned a master’s degree in computer science at Georgia Tech, where he built a program translating one early computer language into another. In our 25th reunion book, he wrote that he owed a “fulfilling and rewarding” life to the “inspiration and challenge” of his college education.

His keen intellect wore a veneer of gentleness and self-effacing humor. Martin fashioned systems to validate signatures, protect the military against cyberattacks, build new computer languages, and embed microprocessors that run cellphones, auto engines, DVRs, and other “smart” products. In the Army, he worked in top secrecy as a code writer and code breaker. He co-founded Penware Inc., and worked for the cybersecurity firm Promia.

Survivors include his wife, Brigitte; daughter Ada; nephews William D. and Michael J.; niece Alice Alexander; and close friends, including Bill Libby ’71.