Morven Gentleman, a noted retired professor of computer science at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, died Dec. 13, 2018. He was 76.
Born in Canada, Gentleman graduated from McGill University in Montreal in 1963 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematical physics. In 1966 he earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from Princeton under Professor John Tukey. He then worked at Bell Labs and at the National Physical Laboratory in England before returning to Canada and the faculty of the University of Waterloo.
Gentleman was the first director of Waterloo’s Mathematics Faculty Computing Facility, an important training group for many who later worked in the Canadian computer industry. In 1982 he moved to the National Research Council in Ottawa. He was also director of the Consortium for Graduate Studies in Software Engineering. In 2000 he joined the faculty of computer science at Dalhousie as professor and director of the new Global Information Networking Institute.
His deep understanding of software ranged from his initial focus on mathematical and statistical computation and real-time systems to more generally commercial applications. He retired in 2008 but continued interacting with students.
Gentleman is survived by his wife, Katherine; two daughters; and two grandchildren.
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