Melvin P. Peisakoff ’48 *50

Born Aug. 11, 1948, Mel came to Princeton from Allerdice High School in Pittsburgh and majored in mathematics. After graduation he stayed on as an Atomic Energy Commission Predoctoral Fellow, earning a Ph.D. in mathematics in 1950. 

Mel spent the next 11 years at the RAND Corp. in Santa Monica, Calif., where he pioneered the application of mathematical and computer techniques for running large organizations. In 1961, he joined CEIR, a computer services company in Beverly Hills, and three years later moved to North American Aviation, later known as Rockwell International Corp. In 1973 Mel became the first executive director of computing at the University of California. 

Information on his later career, unfortunately, is unavailable. We do know, from our 25th-reunion yearbook, that Mel was married to Marlene Feder (NYU ’54) and had three children: Madeline, Janice, and Murray. Having only recently learned of his Sept. 7, 2020, death, the class extends belated condolences to his family.