SlimD aka Murray Kirch
October 11th, 1940 - December 17th, 2023
Murray was a highly regarded senior editor on the website, who was part of the editor team for 12 (!) years. He's leaving a legacy on SHS of 163.953 entries. Murray was both a knowledgeable and affable man, he will be missed. A few words from his editor colleagues about him:
- Repose en paix et merci pour tes services et gentillesse
- I will remember him as a very kind and wise man
- He leaves a great legacy on SHS
- Murray was a top-notch researcher
- Murray was a musicologist in his fields. a great researcher and a very thourough editor. He and his down to earthness will be remembered
- Murray was such a valued member of the team, with great and thoughtful input
- I will miss his great knowledge, his sharp observations on the forum and some occasional personal chats we had along the way
Biography
Murray Robert Kirch was born on October 11, 1940 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. He was the son of Julius M. and Gertrude (Cherner) Kirch.
He graduated Temple University with a Bachelor’s in Mathematics in 1962; obtained his Master of Science, Lehigh University, 1964; and Doctor of Philosophy, Lehigh University, 1968.
His career was varied - he was an Operations analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses, Arlington, Virginia, 1964. Instructor Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 1965-1968. Assistant professor State University of New York, Buffalo, 1968-1972. Assistant director Institute for Retraining in Computer Science, Clarkson University, Potsdam, New York, 1985-1988. Institute Teknologi MARA (ITM) Midwest University Consortium for International Activities (MUCIA), Malaysia, 1990-1991. Professor computer science Stockton College of New Jersey, Pomona, New Jersey, 1972-2008. Visiting scientist Software Engineering Institute Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, 1989. MacArthur visiting distinguished professor University South Florida, Sarasota, 1984-1985. Senior analyst IO Analysis Group Inc., Linwood, New Jersey, since 1983.
Consultant Naval Air Development Center, Pennsylvania, 1989.
He was a member of The Association for Computing Machinery, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Society Industrial and Applied Mathematics, American Mathematics Society, Mathematics Association of America.
He married Barbara Marlyn Weiner August 22, 1968 and they had two daughters, Lisa & Jennifer. He had one grandchild, Alexander Gates.
He was an avid music fan and gathered an extensive record collection throughout his life. He very much enjoyed his time as an editor on SecondHandSongs.
He was an oenophile and traveled widely in search of good food and wine.
He recently relocated from Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey to Healdsburg, California where he died from coronary issues on 17 December 2023.